Monsters
by LoneReader3173
Summary: Sasuke comes from a long line of Demon Hunters, and when his clan sends him to Konoha to rid the city of monsters, he believes it's finally his chance to prove himself worthy of the Uchiha name. When he gets more than he bargained for, can he put aside his intolerance of the supernatural and form a team strong enough to defeat a far greater evil? Naruto/Sasuke, Gaara/Sakura
1. Send Me Away, I'll Be Back Someday

Chapter 1: Send me away, I'll be back someday

The sun rosed over the tops of the mountains, bathing the valley in the light pink hue of morning. Sasuke Uchiha leaned with a tired sigh against the side of the building that would be his new high school. He had arrived to his first day an hour early. Uchihas were never late. Besides that he had been unable to sleep any longer due to the anxiety churning his stomach. A warm August breeze tousled his dark hair. The new school year had started a few weeks ago, and he would have to play catch up on top of everything else.

Sasuke's mind wandered to his other responsibilities. He had been sent to this god forsaken city to defend it from supernatural beings that threatened to destroy it. Werewolves, vampires, spirits, witches, demons, and all manor of other evils. That's what he and his entire family were, Demon Hunters. One of the few clans still left in existence. He had been brought before his clan's council nearly a month ago. They had called him without warning or any indication as to what the summons was regarding, and standing before the most powerful and prestigious members of his family had been terrifying. His thoughts had been plagued with visions of being cast out, and continually racked his brain for any missteps or failures that would get him banished like his brother, but could think of none.

Then the council had informed him that due to his prowess and skill set that they believed he had reached the level of a proper hunter, and he would be tasked with his own sector to guard. The thought had thrilled him. Finally he would get the chance to prove himself to his clan. Prove that he wasn't his brother, that he was superior in every way. He has spent his entire life in Itachi's shadow. Whatever accomplishments he made were disregarded as average compared to the older teen. By the age of eight, Sasuke could best a master swordsman, but Itachi could do it by six. By the time he was twelve Sasuke could cast spells that made sorcerers twice his age look like beginners, but Itachi could do the same at the age of 8. Then when Itachi had turned 16, the same age Sasuke was now, he had betrayed them all and was cast out. He had brought shame to the Uchiha name that Sasuke was determined to restore.

Footsteps brought Sasuke out of his reverie and he opened his eyes. Fellow students were beginning to arrive. He watched them with disdain. He had no interest in social interaction with any of these people. Normal people knew nothing of the supernatural world. living their lives day to day, never knowing all the terrors and evil that lurked around them. It bored him. No, school was and obligation. He would have to maintain a normal identity to draw attention away from his nightly activities. Some boring desk job would be his cover, his secret identity.

He watched the other students for a few moments, before deciding that it was in his best interest to find his class early and avoid the crowded hallway while he could.

His classroom was on the second floor. Opening the door he found who must be his teacher sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the desk, book in hand. He did not look up when Sasuke entered, or when he approached. Sasuke had to clear his throat to be acknowledged. The sound made the man's eyes flick up towards him, but that was all the movement he made before saying, "You must be Sasuke." He opened his mouth to confirm, but the man's eyes went back to his book, "The only open desk is next to Naruto in the back. You'll be seated there." It was clear to Sasuke that he had been dismissed. Black eyes narrowed in irritation, but he moved to take his seat. There was a blond boy asleep in the back of the room. His arms were crossed over his desk, hiding his face. This must be Naruto. Sasuke took the seat next to him, sliding his chair out as loudly as he could manage without it being obvious he was being an ass. Neither of the rooms other occupants budged. Sasuke scanned his eyes over the boy next to him. His clan possessed a special ability that allowed them to see the supernatural. They called it the Sharingan and it was one of the biggest assets to his bloodline, allowing them to seek out and identify friend from foe before the later could even sense their presence. But this boy was completely normal. How dull. Sasuke examined him again on an aesthetic level. Blond hair was messy and unkempt, and his clothes appeared to be old and warn. His orange shirt was faded and threadbare in places. There was a hole in his black jacket that hung on the back of his chair, and in one of his shoes, the knees of his jeans were also ragged.

Sasuke's eyes fell to the desk that the boy was laying on. It appeared to also be worn. Covered in scrub marks, as though it was cleaned regularly. Faded words that he couldn't quite make out scattered the surface. Perfect, he was sitting next to the school loser.

The bell sounded, and more students began filing in. Sasuke scanned them all but none stood out to him as anything but normal. It wasn't likely that there would be any beings with dangerous powers just roaming around a high school, but he was growing desperate. In the week that he'd been in the city, he had not encounter a single creature that he could target and slay. He was told this city was teeming with monsters, but now he was beginning to feel like he had been sent on a fools errand to keep him out of the way. Out of sight, out of mind. Is that how his clan dealt with embarrassment? Why else would the have sent a 16 year old to guard an entire city alone. It wouldn't surprise him. After all they'd never even told him why his brother was banished in the first place. Sasuke knew that he had slaughtered a number of their fellow clansman, including their cousin, who had been Itachi's best friend, but that was all Sasuke knew. Even his mother wouldn't divulge the secret.

The room had been filled with people, but their teacher still had not looked up from his book. It was too loud in here for Sasuke's taste. Smiles and conversations surround him making him uncomfortable. He'd never had friends, and didn't understand the point. They were messy and distracting, and not something someone of his abilities need concern themselves with. There was a tap on his shoulder and he looked up to see a pretty girl with pink hair standing beside his chair, smiling kindly down at him. "Excuse me, you must be new here. My name is Sakura, nice to meet you." She extended her hand to him.

"Don't get familiar. I have no intention of being friends with someone like you." He replied lowly. She blinked, startled and withdrew her hand uttering a small, "oh."

"Ha ha ha, way to go Sakura. Even the new guy fears your massive forehead!' A girl with long blond hair had been watching the interaction.

"Shut up Pig! Its not my fault he's a dick. Bet you two will get along just fine." Her voice had changed from warm kindness to spewing venom so quickly that if Sasuke hadn't seen the words come from her mouth, he would have thought it had been two different people. Sakura returned to her seat across the aisle from Sasuke and folded her arms angrily. The blond girl smile scathingly and was about to retort, when their teach finally stood from his chair. Kakashi Hatake, his schedule had named this man. He stretched his arms over his head with a yawn, dropping his book into the top drawer of his desk. The class took their seats and silence fell across the small room.

"Let us begin then, shall we?" And he turned his back to them unceremoniously beginning his lecture.

Sasuke reached for his bag to pull out his books and various supplies to take notes with, but paused as he set them on his desk. The commotion had apparently woken Naruto at last, and he was staring at Sasuke. Three scars lined either side of his handsome and deep blue eyes bore into his own dully. He appeared to be as bored as Sasuke felt, and was looking him over as Sasuke had done while he was asleep. He tilted his head to the side and slight grin lifted one corner of his mouth. It wasn't a pleasant grin and it gave Sasuke and uneasy feeling that he knew he shouldn't get from a human. Naruto held his gaze a second longer before turning to stare out the window, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back in his chair, he obviously had no intention of paying attention in his .

Sasuke glanced at the clock that told him he was nearing the end of his first school day. Naruto had fallen asleep again not long after Kakashi had started talking and had even slept through lunch. No one made any attempt to wake him and seemed to prefer to ignore his existence. The bell sounded at long last and Sasuke began gathering his things into his black school bag, and Naruto slept on.

He was trying to wind his way through the crowd to the exit when he spotted it. His first target. No more than 20 feet ahead of him was a boy his own age with brown hair and red paint marking his face, laughing with his friends and completely oblivious to the fact that his fate had been sealed the moment Sasuke's Sharingan had spotted him. Werewolf. Sasuke smiled to himself. He'd never faced a real werewolf before. In fact every enemy he'd defeated thus far on his own had been magical constructs created for training. They possessed the same abilities as the real things, but could not exist outside the training arena and had no independent thought of their own. Werewolves were easy, it would be perfect test of his skill in the real world. Sasuke turned to continue down the hallway, but ended up running smack into someone. blinking, he stepped back. Naruto was standing before him wearing the same grin he'd given him earlier.

"See something you like?" his deep voice was barley above a whisper, but it rang clear as glass in Sasuke's ears. He glared and ignored the outcast boy's question, brushing past him like everyone else. Naruto's low voice reached his ears again as he passed. "Happy hunting." Sasuke whirled around, but Naruto had gone, vanishing into the sea of other students.


	2. Circle of Wolves

Chapter 2: Circle of Wolves

Sasuke spent the rest of the evening pouring over the mountains of books spread across the kitchen table in his modest one bedroom flat. Tomes of ancient magic and lore, passed down through generations of Uchiha hunters. He was confident he knew how to deal with a werewolf, but just to sure he didn't miss anything, he would review his knowledge. Silver would of course be his most valuable ally, and he had just the sword for the task. The thin silvered katana blade lay across the table beside him. It had once been his favorite sword. Its blade was etched with ancient runes, protecting it with a spell the Sasuke did not yet know. Named Brother, it had been a gift from Itachi, and now carried with it his distaste for his kin. An older and more experienced werewolf maybe able to withstand a blow from this sword, but this one was a mere child.

Still, he would have to wait for the full moon to slay it, and that was a week away. Sasuke yawned and stretched, his mind drifting back to Naruto's words from earlier that day. It wasn't possible for that boy to know what he was, was it? Knowledge of the magical world was strictly guarded. What were the odds that some reject human boy sitting next to him in class not only possessed this hidden knowledge, but was also able to see Sasuke for what he was? It had to be a coincidence. Perhaps he had thought Sasuke was looking at the boy with some sort of lust, and his comment had been mocking what he thought was Sasuke's sexual desire? That was more likely assumption to him than the blond knowing he was Demon Hunter. Sasuke was no stranger to the appeals of both men and women, but this werewolf boy had held none for him. Not to mention the fact that he was a monster, a creature of darkness that should be eradicated from this earth.

Sasuke neatly gathered the heavy volumes and placed them reverently back on their respective shelves in the living room. He might as well get some rest. He would need to begin learning more about his target in the morning. Where it lived, what its habits were, where it went when he transformed. He could probably get the information he needed from the schools computers, but he would need to get the passwords somehow. His hand lingered on the last book as he made a mental list of things he would need set in motion the next day. When he was finally satisfied that he hadn't missed anything, he retired to his bed for the evening.

The next day at school, he arrived early again, though today only his lazy teacher was in the room, and Sasuke took his seat at the back next to Naruto's empty chair. Without the boy sitting there today, Sasuke could now read the faded words either carved into the desk or stained there my permanent markers that someone hadn't been fully able to remove, for someone had certainly tried to erase the cruel words and comments. Things like: loser, monster, whore, slut, leave this school, no one wants you here, do the world a favor and kill yourself. And various other things that Sasuke couldn't quite make out. Who was this boy to attack so much hatred? Sasuke shook his head and began removing his school supplies from his bag. Five minutes before the morning bell was due to ring, Naruto entered. He wore the same clothes as the previous day, only now they were lightly spattered with blood. There a split in the side of his slightly swollen lip and cut under his very tired looking eyes. An almost indiscernible flick of his hand as he past the front desk as he tossed something to their teacher, who caught it without looking up. Sasuke's eyes didn't miss the movement, however discreet he had tried to be. Naruto flopped into the seat beside him and promptly fell asleep. Sasuke also didn't fail to notice the large bruise on the back of his neck that appeared to teeth marks. Whore, the desk had read. Was there truth to that? Sasuke shook his head. It didn't matter to him what the stupid boy did, he would just be greatful that Naruto would be leaving him alone today. The pink haired girl also left him alone, she had glanced over once or twice, but Sasuke didn't get the feeling that it was him that she was looking at.

When they were dismissed for lunch, Sasuke headed for the school library in hopes of finding a year book from the previous year in order to identify the werewolf. There were probably easier ways, like going to the cafeteria and sitting near it in hopes that some called it by name, but that would involve socializing with his peers and the thought didn't appeal to him.

Sasuke found the old yearbooks in the back corner of the library. There were books for each year dating back nearly one hundred years back. It was odd to him, this school didn't looks as though it was that old. Pulling the book off the shelf, he made himself comfortable sitting crossed legged on floor. The quiet corner was ideal to Sasuke to search without being bothered. He opened the heavy cover and began turning the pages, of course if the boy was a freashman this plan wouldn't work. He took his time, searching the face of each individual student, thinking it would be a lot easier if his sharingan worked on photographs. Just as the bell sounded he found what he was looking for. Kiba Inuzaka. He was a Sophomore in this book so he would be Sasukes same age now.

He quickly closed the book and placed back on the shelf. Now that he had a name, he could find address in the schools computer, or maybe a phone book. Did they even still make phone books? Internet white pages maybe. Inuzaka couldn't be that common of a name. Sasuke hurried back to his class. Naruto had vacated his seat and did not return the rest of the day. Sasuke used his absence to search for Inuzakas in the area on his cell phone, hiding it under the desk as to not draw attention to himself. He found four different possibilities. They were fairly close together so he could hit them all tonight. Then he could begin learning the creatures habits. He would need to kill him away from prying eyes. When a werewolf died, their body would revert back to human form. He would appear to be just another grizzly murder victim to the police. But Sasuke could avoid that too if he could kill it outside the city and hide the body.

At home, Sasuke passed the time waiting for nightfall by watching the evening news. New murders and disappearances were reported weekly in this city, and Sasuke knew that there were like more the police hand not informed the media of to avoid a panic among the general population, and more still that the police probably didn't even know about. An hour or so after the sun had set, Sasuke grabbed Brother, a necklace infused with wolfs bane, and a small pistol housing quicksilver bullets and climbed into the black unmarked car gifted to him by the clan. This car, too, had once been Itachi's. Sasuke turned the key and it rumbled to life, his first stop was less than a block from his own apartment. The thought that he was living so close these monsters made his skin crawl. The Uchiha compound where he grew up was a fortress, a small city in and of itself and had always acted as barrier to Sasuke, a wall between good and evil. With that wall was gone and he felt oddly exposed and alone.

He pulled up to a curb down the street from the house and turned of the lights of his car. Even from this distance Sasuke could see werewolf energy signals all over the place. This must be the one, but he would wait for visual confirmation to be sure. He'd expect a long wait, but there was sudden movement to his left. The darkened windows of the car meant he was virtually invisible as the boy walked passed him to the house. Well that was easier than expected.

Sasuke would spend the rest of the week following him on foot. The boy didn't do much, just a normal teenager. He went to school, hung out with friends, spent a lot of time with his dog. Sasuke wasn't sure what he thought the boy should be doing. Ripping the throats out of innocent by standers? Maybe a little over the top, but Sasuke was growing bored. On Thursday, he followed the beast into the forest at the edge of the city. Followed him for miles. He was walking alone and carried a large backpack. At the top of the trail was a small well, which the boy climbed down into. Sasuke waited, hidden the trees for him to re-emerge. It wasn't long, and when it came back up the backpack was gone. It turned and left the area back down the trail. Sasuke stayed where he was until the footsteps disappear. When he was sure the wolf had gone he went to climb down the well himself. There was a small rope ladder laying against the inside wall. It was deep. At the bottom he tilted head back and looked up. Daylight was but a small ring in the distance. He whispered a spell into his hands and the runes for light materialized into a small yellow ball that rose up to float next to Sasukes head, illuminating a path in from lot of him. He could see a faint aftertrail with his sharingan that marked where the creature had gone, like faint red smoke that glowed in front of him. He hurried after it, it wouldn't last long and had already started to disappear. The trail ended in a small chamber. Sasuke moves his ball of light higher into the air and froze. There were heavy iron chains on the wall. Too big for any human to be bound by. He smiled.

Friday and the night of the full moon arrived. Sasuke went to school as usual, thought he couldn't pay attention to anything being said. He was growing anxious and impatient. Every tick-tock of the click echoed in his ears. At home was no better. He packed his things quickly and went to the the well to wait. The boy arrived around well before dusk and descended the ladder. Just as he'd thought. This was where it went to change. Just after the sun had finished with day and given way to the moon, Sasuke heard distant screaming driffting up from the darkness before turning into growls and howling, marking the transformation. He moved to the edge of the well and look downwards, but just as he was about to climb down he stopped, something was moving in the tunnel at the bottom. Something big, and it was coming quickly, the growls and howling we're getting closer.

Sasuke lept backwards and drew Brother with his right hand and a shield tune in his left. Just as his feet hit the ground, the top of the well exploded. He moved the shield rune infront of him to block the spray of bricks. The werewolf stood in front of him, yellow eyes fixated in his direction. It neared seven feet tall and towered menacingly above him. Sasuke adjusted his stance and darted fowards, slashing Brother at It's throat. It caught the blade in his claws, howling in pain at the touch of silver, and Sasuke slammed the shield into its torso, sending it flying backwards. It hit the ground with a loud thud, but quickly rolled into all fours and whirled around for another attack. Sasuke caught its claws with the blade, whispered the tune for force into his shield and hit the wolf with it again. This time it flew much further, slamming into a tree and crushing it. The creature attempted to get up again but collapsed. It was over. Sasuke walked over to where it lay prone across the ground. Yellow eyes stared up at him, full of fear, and Sasuke raised Brother above its throat and swung downwards. But his blade didn't hit flesh. A metal clang sounded in the clearing. His blade was forced backwards and so was he. Sea blue eyes were now looking into his own. Naruto stood before him, a black blade that appeared to be made of swirling shadow held in hand.

"Sorry, but I changed my mind." He took a small charm with a wolf carved on its surface from his pocket. He turned it over in his fingers and dropped it on the werewolf's chest. "Run back to your cage, dog." He said. The wolf began to change, and now the boy lay infront of them, panting, bloody, and bruised. Naruto stepped over him towards Sasuke. Kiba scrambled to his feet and away from Naruto.

"Whatever monster you think I am," He panted out with great effort, clinging to a tree for support, "I am nothing compared to what you are."

The words shocked Sasuke, as they were not spoken to himself, but the Naruto.

The blond smiled ruefully. "For once, Kiba, I agree with you." The boy ran off into the forest, and Naruto's attention went back to Sasuke. "I was planning to let you kill each other. You're stronger than I thought you'd be, poor bastard didn't stand a chance, did he?"

"You planned this?" Sasuke was outraged. His hunt was ruined, and the werewolf had escaped thanks to this idiot.

"Yes. Who do you think let him out? Kiba is always such a good boy to lock himself away on the full moon. Doesn't want any accidents." He crosses one foot infront of the other and stepped slowly to the left, blade still at the ready. "I also disabled the spells in the well when you went exploring yesterday. They would have killed you. You should be greatful. You're also lucky that it was only Kiba I released." He grinned and ran his index finger across his lower lip, stepping again. This time Sasuke stepped too. They were slowly circling each other. "You did well against one, but how would you have faired against the whole pack?"

Sasuke attacked, but Naruto caught his blade with the shadowed one. "What are you!?" He yelled at the blond. He swung his shield rune again, but Naruto caught that too, with a second blade that he'd drawn out of thin air. They both pushed forward throwing the other backwards so that they stood apart again.

"You can't figure it out?" Naruto mocked him. "Aren't you a hunter?" They stepped again. "You're a stupid one if you are. It's obvious your not part of the local clan, they would have recognized you." Step. "What kind of hunter, hunts in another's territory I wonder."

"Territory?" Sasuke stopped moving. "What are you on about? How do you know what I am?"

Naruto also stopped moving and blinked at him, tilting his head to the side and dropping his stance, confused. "How do you not know?"

Sasuke was finished with the conversation. He sprung at Naruto again, but as he landed in front of the spot where the boy should be, he was gone. Sasuke looked wildly around, but the clearing was empty.


	3. Blood and Mercy

Chapter 3: Blood and Mercy

Sasuke walked back to his car in a daze. Sinking into the drivers seat he stared at the steering wheel, not really seeing it. His body felt strangely disconnected from his mind as if the two were separate entities poorly trying to occupy the same space. His encounter with Naruto had opened a floodgate of questions and doubt, and Sasuke's brain felt like it was drowning. If there was already a clan here, why had his sent him? And how could there be one here? There were only two others besides his own and they were nowhere near here. But how else would Naruto know what he was, unless he'd encountered a hunter before? Was Naruto a hunter? Was he part of the clan that was here? He certainly had skill with a blade to be able to stand against Sasuke. Normal people didn't just know how to sword fight like that. He had to have learned it from somewhere.

Sasuke attempted to turn the door knob that would allow him entrance to his apartment, but it was locked and he'd been so distracted that he ended up failing to decrease his own momentum and walked straight into the door. He blinked and stepped backwards rubbing his forehead. He'd apparently driven himself all the way home, parked, and walked up to his door without being conscious of doing so. He searched his pockets for his keys, furiously jamming them into the lock.

Casting is sword and forgotten pistol aside he began to tear every book he owned off the shelf, one of these must have something that could give him answers. Books had never failed him before, but as the sun rose the next morning, Sasuke was still empty handed.

He lay on the hard wooden floor staring up at the ceiling. His beloved books scattered the floor around him. Pock marks dented the walls where he'd thrown several of them in anger. He sighed, and as he sat up and his eyes fell on Brother, still laying haphazardly across the entrance way. There was a sharp pang in his heart. The person he'd wanted to talk to most in times like this had always been Itachi. His brother never failed to know the right thing to do, and Sasuke had trusted him above anyone else. At least, he thought he did. But now Itachi was gone and the trust was betrayed. He briefly entertained the thought of calling his parents for advice, but idea quickly disappeared as he was far too stubborn to admit that kind of defeat just yet. Asking Itachi would be one thing, but calling home to mommy and daddy because the blond idiot had confused him, was another beast altogether. However, he just might know someone who was likely to have the answers he now desperately sought. He would just have to find a way to make him talk.

The problem was that Naruto was nowhere to be found. He'd stopped showing up to school, and Sasuke knew nothing about him to even be able to search for him. He wasn't even in

the system as having an address, and since no one at the school liked him, there wasn't anybody he could ask. He knew how track and kill ever monster in the book, but now he couldn't even find one human boy.

Kiba had returned to school that week and had been sure to keep his distance from Sasuke. That was still a problem he would need to deal with. Along with that, Sasuke has encountered someone else at the school that had concerned him. A red haired boy, a senior, who gave off a demonic aura unlike like any of the demons Sasuke had fought before. Somehow this one was different, but he didn't understand how. If he killed Kiba, and this was another clans territory, there could be serious complications between his clan and this one. It was possible that it could even start a war. If there was no clan and he attempted to kill the demon boy without fully understanding what he was, he could die. And once again Sasuke didn't have the answers he needed, and no means of getting them.

Sasuke had taken to walking around the city after school in hopes of finding anything that might possibly point him in the right direction. He had never felt lost like this before. Tonight he found himself walking along a dimly lit side street on the edge of the city. It had been raining the past few days and Sasuke clutched an umbrella in his left hand and a heavy coat bundled against the cold. He liked the rain. The smell of the damp earth and rhythmic beating had a calming effect on his soul. He'd never understood how something that Was so rejuvenating to him could cause others to be so miserable and gloomy.

A dark car with tinted windows pulled up to the curb several meters behind him. Sasuke watched from the corner of his eye as A hooded figure whose stature suggested a male, stepped out of the back seat. He didn't look in his direction but closed the door behind him and leaned forward resting his arm on the roof. The window rolled down and an arm donning and expensive looking suit reached a handful of cash that was snatched by the hooded figure. Sasuke turned away feeling he'd just witnessed some sort of either a drug or sex dealing, and continued down the street. He hated this city. The night was cold enough that the rain had now turned to snow. Large dime sized pieces fell almost in slow motion before him. He hadn't walked far when something caught is interest. There was girl with long dark hair sitting on low garden wall outside and abandoned looking house not far in front of him. She wore a light pink summer dress. No one else paid her any mind as the passed or even glanced her way to notice her strange attire or the fact that she was dry despite sitting in the snow, and Sasuke knew why. The girl had a faint silvery glow about her aura that marked her as one of the dead.

He moved closer, drawing the cleansing rune in his right hand holding it on the his index and middle finger down at his side. She didn't seem concerned as she watched him with large dark eyes, smiling as he approached to send her away from this world and into the one that waited beyond. Her smile caused Sasuke to pause, and as he stood watching her, a hand closed over the two fingers holding the rune and dismissed the spell. The hooded figure stood beside him revealing himself to be none other than Naruto.

Sasuke opened his mouth to either demand answers or curse the boy for again disrupting his goals, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Haku," He said looking fondly at the girl. "Many years ago a man named Zabuza lived in that house with his wife. Haku was the mans lover. One day the wife came home early, and found her husband in bed with another man." As he spoke he twirled the string of a necklace about his throat that bore a a small blue gem. "Enraged, and believing the boy to be a demon to have bewitched her husband so, she removed the shotgun from the wall and shot the boy through the chest. Zabuza murdered her in return. It was snowing the night that the police took Zabuza away, and now each time when it snows, Haku sits on that wall And waits for his precious one to return." He turned back to Sasuke, "His words not mine." And then very seriously added, "Haku is not an enemy. What code do you even hunt by? Neither of the targets Ive watched you go after are guilty."

"They are all the enemy. Thinking a story is sad does not redeem a monster for being what it is." He bit back. The teachings of his clan had been clear. If it wasn't of this world, it was to be sent back to the hell it came from.

"How very honorable of you." Naruto mocked him.

"I don't need lectures in honor from someone who sells them self for money."

Naruto smiled, unfazed, and shrugged, "Guys got to eat." He shrugged. "Speaking of, I'm late." He brushed passed Sasuke started across the street. "If you touch Haku, I won't have a choice but to kill you." He shouted back over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Sasuke hurried after him. "I have questions you need to answer."

"I'm sure you do, but you're wrong on the part where I need to answer them." He stopped and Turned back to Sasuke. "I don't like you. You are arrogant, narrow minded, ignorant, and I owe you nothing. If you want answers talk to the clan."

"Yes, anyone is preferable to you, but how do I find them?"

"Take a walk through the woods. They'll find you." He saluted Sasuke in dismissal and walked away.

So there Sasuke was, standing on the deserted, muddy main trail that led into the heart of Konoha forest. He'd been walking for quite sometime and was starting to feel as though he'd been sent on a wild goose chase. The night was cold but the snow had finally stopped. What little had stuck to the ground would be gone by morning. He was just about to turn and head home, cursing his own stupidity, when he heard something behind him. The snapping of twigs underfoot sounded from the dark cluster of trees. He watched, hand poised and ready to draw Brother if he needed. It was a woman who stepped of the trees onto the trail. Only, she wasn't a woman, as she was far to tall and slender and her white hair shone unnaturally in the moonlight. She wore a long, black, revealing dress that made her pale skin look even whiter. She smiled at Sasuke and stepped closer, red eyes fixed on his own. She drew her hand up as her her finger elongated into daggers, but as Sasuke's hand flew to his sword, he was thrown backwards. Landing hard in the mud, he heard a young female voice above him say kindly, "Sorry, but this one is mine." He looked up to see the pink haired girl from class standing in front of him. Her long hair was tied back in a lose pony tail. She was clothed in black from head to toe except for the green vest she wore baring a red leaf. All were splattered with mud. She faced away from him with her hand was thrust behind her towards Sasuke where she had shoved him. The other had held a shied run infront of her that the demon was furiously clawing at. "Move! I can't hold her much longer." Sasuke scrambled to his feet and drew his sword as girl released the shield with shockwave that sent the demon flying into the trees.

"What-" Sasuke began but the demon had returned. Sakura knocked it down again and drew her own sword from her waist. Sasuke stared, amazed. The falchion sword she held in her hand appeared to be made entirely of crystal. He knew this sword, had read of it as a child. Apparently so had the demon.

"That blade!" She shrieked in fear.

"You've heard of it?" She held the sword in front of her, the crystal shining menacingly in the moonlight. "Yes! This is Mercy!" The demon screamed in rage. Her beautiful face contorted as she began to transform. Arms and legs lengthened, as more sprouted from her back. Giant fangs took the place of her mouth and her eyes multiplied, turning a glowing red. Sakura smiled and attacked. She fought with a tenacity unlike anything Sasuke had seen in a swordsman. Mercy. It was one of the seven blades made of God Crystal that first appeared in his spell books from hundreds of years ago. Thought to be a perfect weapons they could cut through anything, never dulled, and somehow had the properties needed to slay any beast or creature. Sasuke had only ever thought of them as a legend, a fairy tale for small children. The lost weapons of gods. How could such a thing exist? But here one was, right in front of him, being wielded by a 16 year old girl as easily as if it was an extension of her own body. She blocked strikes from the eight legs with speed that spoke years of training equal to Sasuke's own. One of the legs caught her on the shoulder and knocked her down, but she used the momentum to roll herself under the huge spider and stab it in the belly. The Demon howled in pain, and as the attacks stopped Sakura rolled her feet and swung Mercy at the demons throat, beheading it. Green ichor sprayed from its neck as the body collapsed to the muddy ground .

His classmate sheathed her sword and turned to wink at him. Her pretty face was spattered with mud and the monster's sickly green blood, and her pink bangs clung to the edges of her face with sweat. Still panting from the exertion, she closed her eyes and traced the rune for fire in the air in front of her, muttering to herself under her breath. The rune burst into flames and she cast it down at her fallen foe. The body disintegrated almost instantly. She turned on her heel and strode back down the path. When Sasuke didn't follow she added, looking back at him over her injured shoulder, "Aren't you coming? I thought you wanted answers."


	4. Dark Heart

Chapter 4: Dark Heart

The absence of the cloud cover had chilled the night even more, and the walk out of the forest seemed to take much longer than walking in. Sasuke was starting shiver, and he had no idea where they were or where they were going. Sakura had told him that it would be best to speak at the clans headquarters to avoid any eavesdroppers and to escaped the cold. She had taken many side paths and game trails that crossed and uncrossed and didn't seem to be leading in any one particular cardinal direction, and he wondered if it was an attempt to confuse him. To Sasuke, from what he could see of the sky, it seemed that the were heading mostly west, back towards the city. He briefly considered summoning a small fire rune to both give himself light and warmth, but as Sakura appeared to be unbothered by the cold despite being soaked with mud, he decided he didn't want to appear weak in front of her. The cold air stung his cheeks and bit at his lungs with every breath, as they at last reached the edge of the forest. Sasuke didn't recognize the spot they had emerged. It definitely wasn't anywhere near where he had parked. They stood near a large wrought iron fence, the tips of which ended in large spade like spikes, casting long shadows across the lawn the led up to a foreboding manor. Every window that Sasuke could see of the House was dark, but Sakura continued forwards towards the fence. Lifting her left hand, she gently touched the iron bars and the dissolved before them, creating a doorway of sorts. She entered and beckoned him to follow as she proceeded towards the house.

"I don't think anyone besides Shikamaru is here. There are 10 of us in all. Most of the clan doesn't live here like we do, they just come and go, picking up missions and reporting in to Kakashi." She touched the large wooden double doors the same as she had the fence and the swung open quietly.

"Kakashi? Our home room teacher?" He followed her into the dark entry way. The sconces on the walls flickered to life on their own as they entered, illuminating the Vaulted ceiling that rose high above them, and the circular marble staircase ahead was bathed in dull orange-yellow light. A statue of a hunter with his sword drawn pointing towards the sky, stood at the base of the staircase. Standing with their backs to him on either side were a werewolf and a vampire. They appeared to fight together against a common enemy.

"Hmm." She nodded removing her muddy boots and vest setting them aside. "He is the current acting head of clan while Tsunade is away."

Sasuke was doing his best to maintain a professional exposure and imply quiet curiosity about the situation and not shout at her for a better explanation.

"Shikamaru should be in the library. He can explain most of this better than I can. Come on, it's this way." She sprinted lightly up the marble stair case and led him down a long hallway. The sconces light up before them as they walked, and Sasuke noticed that they also extinguished themselves as they passed. At the end of the hall the reached another set of double doors, but these ones were open slightly. The only light in the room was a small floating orb, hovering over a long table stacked high with books. It emitted a dim bluish light in about a 5 foot radius from itself. Someone sat just outside that radius. Sasuke couldn't see his physical body, but the aura encompassing him told Sasuke that it was a Vampire.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura bellowed angrily. The figure sat up abruptly and fell forwards into the light. Sakura through a fire rune in-front of her and it erupted in a previously hidden fireplace, casting more light into the room.

The Vampire slowly stood up from the floor. "There isn't need to shout." He said irritatedly.

"You're supposed to be finding information about the seals, not sleeping." She approached the fireplace and placed her blade across a nearby chain, then began removing her muddy clothing until she stood only in her only her underclothes. Sasuke averted his eyes. Her clothing wasn't revealing in any sense, in long shorts and a tank top, and she clearly didn't mind being seen in this manner, but he didn't think it appropriate to stare none the less. Instead his gaze fell back to the Vampire who had reseated himself at the table. He was a handsome boy, about Sasukes own age, at least in appearance. His dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and black gems glittered in both pierced ears. So this clan worked alongside those it hunted? The thought left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I have looked and looked for days and have found nothing that makes any sense. Who is this?" He indicated Sasuke with a jerk of his thumb.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke answered for himself, proudly.

"Uchiha, huh?" The vampire laughed.

"Naruto sent him our way." She crossed her arms and moved closer to the fire. "He just enrolled in our school and is in our home room. I should have recognized him as a hunter, but I... didn't." She shook her head in self disappointment.

"Perhaps if you weren't so focused on getting Naruto to join us..." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her and she scowled. "Regardless, Kakashi probably recognized him, though it's curios As to why he hasn't said anything about it. What did Naruto tell you?"

"Not much. As usual." She answered waving her hand, "He just said he was sending a new hunter our way. One that didn't know we existed." She rounded quickly on Sasuke."Why don't you know who we are, by the way?" Her expression stayed irritated, but had now added a more quizzical element.

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted, "I was under the impression there were only three clans left."

"Ah, that explains it." Shikamaru expressed as though the answer was obvious, and leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. But when Sakura and Sasuke both stared at him blankly, he continued his explanation. "There are only three pure blood clans left. Meaning all the members are from the same family. Originally all the clans were that way, but eventually most of them died out. The pure blood clans that are left don't recognize us as a true clan and don't take any of our efforts seriously," he turned to Sasuke, "If they didn't tell you about us, then they didn't send you to spy, so what did they send you here for, I wonder?"

"I'm a hunter, what do you think they sent me for?" Sasuke said defiantly. This time both Sakura and Shikamaru laughed.

"They sent a 16 year old to hunt monsters in a foreign city alone and didn't give him vital information that could save his life? Unlikely."

"I'm one of the best of of my clan. I've never failed to defeat an enemy." Sasuke was starting to get angry, and the feeling of doubt had set in again. Truth rung in their words, and Sasuke was beginning to feel that somehow he had been betrayed.

"That maybe, but not even the best hunters can hold up an entire city alone. Im sorry but that's a question we can't answer for you." Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm guessing Naruto sent you us to keep you from getting killed." He sayt upright again laced his fingers together to create a rest for his chin as he leaned his elbows on his knees. "That's another curiosity. He doesn't tend to act so directly in others affairs."

"Who is he? He's not a clan member, according to your earlier comment, and he's interrupted two of my hunts now."

"Difficult to say with him. Though he usually knows more than he lets on." Her voice was slightly muffled, and Sasuke looked over at her. Her chin was tucked towards her shoulder and It appeared she had remembered her injury she had acquired in her battle with the spider demon, and was attempting to heal it with a green rune that Sasuke didn't recognize in her hand. Only the most advanced spell casters Sasuke knew could master healing runes, they were finicky and required a very steady hand, or they could go horribly wrong, but has he watched, her flesh began stitching itself back together.

"If he interrupted you, most likely you weren't following the Hunter's Code. Though maybe your clan has a different code. Most have their own rules, makes things a bit sticky sometimes.. It lead to many disputes, sometimes even war." Shikamaru finished as Sakura concentrated on her wounds.

"What code?" Sasuke said slowly.

"Ours is simple really. We only kill those who are a threat to others. We don't slaughter the innocent." His eyes stared into Sasuke's as if knowing this wasn't something he lived by, and thought poorly of him for it. Sasuke doubted very strongly that there was a monster that didn't pose a threat, or could be deemed innocent by any means. Deciding not to argue this point for the time being, he remained quiet and waited for the Vampire to finish. "And no, he is not a member of the clan, but it's not for lack of trying."

"Have you met Gaara?" Sakura asked suddenly. She had finished tending her wounds, and the gash on her should appeared to have disappeared completely.

"Who?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Red head, year above us, tattoo on his forehead, bout your height?" She held her hand above her head to around where Sasuke's head would sit.

"The demon?" He was puzzled what this had to do with there conversation.

"Well, half demon, but yes." She nodded.

"Half demon?" Sasuke had never heard of such a thing before.

"A half demon occurs when a human mates with a demon. I'm betting it confused your eyes. They would only have seen the demon, leaving a sort of gap in the aura?" Sasuke nodded in agreement. This Vampire was intelligent and raised more red flags in Sasukes mind. He would need to be extra cautious around this one.. Sasuke wondered how old he was to have accumulated enough knowledge to be this quick witted, though he wasn't sure if the creatures tone was supposed to be informative or condescending. "For Gaara I believe his father was the demon. It was the mother for Naruto."

Sasuke stood up straighter as the sentence sunk in, "What? No I would have known.."

"Unfortunately for you, you don't actually know everything." The vampire smirked at Sasuke.

Sakura shook her head impatiently and lightly tapped the hollow of her throat,"That necklace he wears suppresses his demon blood. Gaara is determined to rip it off him one day and force his to show himself for what he his. Wants to fight him and prove who is stronger. But Naruto just wants to be left alone. Not human, not demon, neither of them have really ever fit in anywhere. Gaara had a family and siblings who love him, Naruto never had anyone and only knows the hated and abuse of others. Hence his unwillingness to join us." Her expression was pained and sad as she spoke. She must feel for the boy.

"Gaara will get his wish someday, and Naruto will be forced to come out of the comfort zone he's created for himself. We can only hope he'll finally side with us when he does."

Before Sasuke could ask more, the sound of footsteps quickly approaching sounded from the hallway. Sakura uncrossed her arms and look towards the doorway, while the vampire closed his eyes and leaned backwards in the chair, uninterested. A girl with short blond hair pulled into pigtails reached the door, nearly collapsing from her exertion and having to grip the door frame for support.

"Shika!" The vampire was at her side faster than Sasuke could blink. Sakura rushes over to her as well, her sword back at her waist.

"Temari! What happened!" Shikamaru gripped her shoulders helping her stand and looking over her for any sign of injury, but she brushed him off, still gasping for breath, and attempted to pull him with her down the hallway.

"Gaara," she gasped, "Naruto," she gasped again, "he's going to kill him, you have to stop them."

"Where!?" Sakura grappled Temari forcefully by the shoulder.

"Ow. Catacombs." She pointed at down at her feet, and Sakura took off at a run down the hall, still barefoot and half dressed.

"I guess the time has come." Shikamaru addressed Sasuke now. "Come on, you might learn something." They both took off at a jog after Sakura.

They reached the entrance to the manor, but rather that heading back outside into the the cold, as Sasuke had expected and almost dreaded, Shikamaru and Temari turned towards the statute at the base of the staircase. It had been moved to the side about 3 feet revealing a passage way. They entered, not waiting for Sasuke to make make up his mind if he really wanted to follow two people he didn't know, one of them a vampire, into what appeared to be a dungeon. Sasuke hesitated for only a moment before following suit, his curiosity getting the better of him. Shikamaru and Temari were talking quickly with each other as they ran, but Sasuke couldn't make out their words over the sound of a Temari panting and his own racing heartbeat. Then other voices joined thieves, still far off, but echoing down the narrow stone passage. These voices shouted angrily, and Sasuke recognized one of them as Naruto. He passage opened into a massive chamber, of which they were at the top looking down hundreds of feet, separated from the ledge by iron railing. All across from the were other passage ways that dotted the cavern walls. It reminded Sasuke of a behave. Sakura had said the clan consisted of only 10 members, but by the looks of the place, the number had once been much greater. At the bottom over the cavern the owners of the angry stood on opposite ends, shouting. Sasuke followed down the winding switchbacks down to the bottom where a small crowd had gathered. He recognized Kakashi and Sakura, but no one else.

"Show yourself and fight me, you coward!" Gaara ran at Naruto wielding a large bastard sword with a jet black pommel and blade.

"What the hell for!?" Naruto crossed his own double blades in front of him blocking Gaara's attack.

"You think that necklace makes you better than the rest of us!?" He growled and attacked again. "You are nothing! We are the same mould, you and I, but I am stronger! I will show you just how weak you are! It's time you learn your place!"

Naruto blocked him again, but was pushed back by the force of the blade. "Leave me alone, you lunatic! I don't care how strong you think you are or what you think of how I live!"

But the last attack had given Gaara the advantage, and he was able reach forward and rip the necklace from Naruto's throat.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Naruto froze, the immense aura that rolled off him hit Sasuke like a title wave. Several of the onlookers drew their weapons, moving into a defensive stance, and Gaara leapt backwards staring at him in horror. Naruto's swords fell from his hands, dissolving into shadow. His hands shot up to grip either side of his head, as he let a blood curdling cry that rent the air. Sasuke was over come with intense feelings of pain and hatred, that were not his own. Sakura made a move to run to Naruto, tears falling from her emerald green eyes, but Shikamaru held her back. "He will kill you."

Silence fell in the chamber as the screaming stopped. Naruto straightened up, arms falling limply to his sides. His head lifted, and the light shown on his face. Whisker like markings on his cheeks had darkened and the bright blue eyes were replaced by brilliant red with pupils narrowed to slits. Those eyes focused only on Gaara.

"Well? What are you waiting for? This is what you wanted... or are afraid now?" His voice had deepened and now dripped with anger and malice.

Gaara hesitated before lunging at him with his sword. Naruto caught it effortlessly, and ripped the sword from Gaara's hands and tossing it aside as he aimed a kick directly in to Gaara's stomach, sending him flying. "I thought you wanted to fight. Did you change your mind?"He mocked. Gaara got to his feet and attacked with his fists and claws, and his own face had also taken on more demonic features. Naruto caught one fist aimed at his face, but missed the one directed at his stomach. He took the fist still held in his hand and twisted it behind Gaara's back, elbowing him in the spine. Gaara cried out and fell to his knees. "You're wrong. You and I are nothing alike. You had a family, people who loved you and put up with you despite this psychotic behavior." He released Gaara's arm. "You should be grateful. You should be humble. You have abilities you could be using to help people, but instead you use them strut around a high school like you're better than the rest of a bunch of children.. And you call me a coward?!"

Gaara rolled to the side and swung his leg back to sweep Naruto's feet knocking him back. He stood sent another punch at Naruto's face, but Naruto's fist hit his chest first and sent flying across the ground once again. Naruto had barely moved and he was standing over Gaara who was sprawled on the ground, winded. He stepped one foot over his prone body and dropped to his knees straddling Gaara's waist. He drew his fist back, and aimed it directly at Gaara's face. It would be a killing blow, Sasuke knew. Temari cried out trying to get away from an older boy with sandy brown hair that was holding her back, trying to reach Gaara, "No!" She screamed in vain.

Even from this distance Sasuke could feel the breeze from Naruto's fist as it hurdled downwards. He turned his head not wishing to witness a death such as this. But only silence filled the cavern once again. Sasuke looked up. Naruto's fist had stopped millimeters from Gaara. He dropped his arm do his side and rose from the ground. "I am nothing like you," he said softly. The demonic aura had lessened.

The red haired boy didn't move or speak, only staring upwards in a state of shock. Naruto turned to leave, but paused, and looking back over his shoulder, his red eyes met Sasuke's. "You really should ask them about your brother," he sneered. Sasuke stared after him open mouthed, as he left through one of side tunnels. Then rounded on Kakashi, "What about my brother?"


	5. Truth and Lies

Chapter 5: Truth and Lies

The silence in the chamber echoed inside Sasuke's head. Kakashi didn't respond. He was staring after Naruto with a confused expression on his scared face.

"That was a dick move." Shikamaru said, also looking towards where Naruto has disappeared.

"Yes, but he's always been a bit volatile." Kakashi told him.

"No, I meant you." He turned to face the older man. "You had no way of knowing that Naruto would be able to control himself. You were the only one who cold have stopped him, but you had no intention of doing so, did you?"

"I had faith in him." Kakashi said simply.

"faith is for the hopeless... are at such an end?" They both had their backs to Sasuke and gave no indication that either had heard his question.

Sauske's patience had run out, he could care less about this clans personal matters. "Answer me!" His hands were balled into fist as he stepped in front of Kakashi, so that the man could not avoid looking at him any longer "Tell me what the Hell is going on!" Kakashi looked down at him. The confused expression had given way to a blank slightly irritated expression. "Who are you people, and what does my brother have to do with any of this!"

Kakashi merely blinked at him. "He should be here by now. He can answer your questions." His attention left Sasuke and went to Sakura, who was still looking at the place Naruto had vanished into the tunnels, her face wet with tears. "Sakura." he said softly, she jumped slightly at the sound of her name.

"What happened?" her soft voice cracked as she spoke. Kakashi didn't answer her question, either, so she turned to look at him. "Why did that happen to him?" she pointed towards where Naruto had last been. "That surge of power, thats not him, hes not that strong."

Kakashi brought a hand up rub his chin thoughtfully, "I have a theory, but I'm not sure yet." He gestured towards Gaara, "In the mean time, I think Mr. Sabaku could use some medical attention."

"Oh... yes. Of course I'll take him to the Medical Bay." Her voice sounded far away, as though her mind where still somewhere else. But she quickly stepped over to Gaara. The girl, Temari, and that other boy that had been holding her back during the fight were kneeling next to him. They helped him to his feet as Sakura approached, and supported him as they all followed her out of the chamber. It did not appear that the demon boy could use the arm that Naruto had twisted behind his back.

"Shikamaru. Will you take Sasuke to my office. I will be there shortly." And Kakashi too left down another passage.

Shikamaru sighed and muttered something that sounded like "Troublesome," before tapping Sasuke on the shoulder and pointed towards a set of stairs to their left. Sasuske had recoiled slightly at the touch. The vampire's hands felt like ice. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes. "That prejudiced you hold isn't going to do you any favors."

"Call it self preservation." Sasuke sneered, but still followed him towards the stairs, and Shikamaru chuckled softly.

"One day you'll see what a true monster really looks like, and then it will all make sense as to why we are so willing work together." Sasuke highly doubted that. All monsters were the same. They all needed to be hunted to extinction. They all needed to die. And he, Sasuke, would be a warrior for the light against them. If his brother had truly switched sides, then he would need to cut down along side them.

Kakashi's office was the first room off the top of the stairs. Sasuke was a little taken aback as to the state of place. Books and papers were stacked haphazardly everywhere, and felt that even the slightest breeze would send everything crashing to the floor.

"You're welcome to take a seat if you can find one." Shikamaru seated himself in the chair behind the desk and put his feet up on the desk. He laced his fingers behind his head and eyed Sasuke over the papers stacked on the desk. Sasuke had remained standing. "What happened to you to make you hate anyone different from you so intensely?"

"Happened? Nothing happened. You're monsters. What is there to understand beyond that." Sasuke was irritated by the question.

"I was human once, you know." he stated as though it should clearly explain something to Sasuke.

"You're not human any longer. You probably don't even remember what it was like to be human. How long has it been?"

"About two years. I was on a mission for the clan. Took a hit for a fellow teammate. I remember dying in Temari's arms. A few days later, I woke up like this. I still have no idea who turned me, or why. Its actually rather awkward, watching my friends and family, people I've know my entire life, people I love, slowly age while I stay the same." He shrugged, nonchalantly despite the forlorn tone of his words.

Sasuke thought for a moment. If he could goad the vampire into attacking him, perhaps he could kill and claim self defense in face of the rest of the clan. He could dispose of this monster and walk out of this place scott free. Then he could move on to the demons."You don't have to. You know the noble thing to do, don't you? There's no guarantee that you wouldn't hurt or kill those people you claim to still love. Assuming that a vampire is capable of emotion. Which I doubt."

Shikamaru blinked at him and then laughed. It was not the reaction Sasuke was expecting at all.

"Its funny how two people raised in the same environment, with the same parents and teachers could turn out so differently. Did you never question anything like he did?"

Sasuke's hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword. "Don't you ever compare me to that traitor."

"Traitor? After everything he has done for you?"

But before Sasuke could answer, the door opened behind him, and Kakashi stepped through followed closely by Itachi.

Sasuke couldn't move. All the things he had wanted to ask his brother, all the things he had wanted to shout at him caught in his throat as they all tried to exit his mouth at once. "You!... you... you... Traitor!"

Itachi only looked at him and smiled lovingly. "Hello little brother. Eloquent as always, I see." He moved to seat himself on the edge of one of the table lining the wall. Kakashi did the same. "Yes, Sasuke, I have a lot to explain to you if you are willing to listen."

Sasuke glared, but crossed his arms and waited.

"Perhaps it would make the most sense if I started, Itachi" Kakashi said. "The question you asked earlier about who we are, actually starts all this." he rubbed his chin for a moment, deciding where to start. "I'm not sure how familiar you are with clan history, but there was once a clan in ever city. One family of gifted individuals tasked with protecting their given city from the things that go bump in the night. It worked like this for centuries. But as time went on, the clans began to die out. They waged wars on each other over ethics and killing methods and various other arbitrary reasons, and in that time their enemies grew stronger. With all their energy directed at each other, they were easy picking. This clan," he waved his hand indicating their current location, "was one of the strongest. The Namikaze clan."

"I've never heard of that one." Sasuke said flatly.

"You wouldn't have, Sasuke." Itachi was speaking now his tone was dire and serious, "Our family betrayed them and wiped them out, in order to gain power. Minato, the last head of this clan, and the last of his line, had formed a team with our uncle Madara to close the dimensional gates and end the conflict once and for all. But Madara had decided that he'd rather use the power of the gates for himself, and turned on Minato." He looked at Sauske intensely, willing him to understand the depth of what he was saying. "That what our clan, our family, is doing Sasuke. Madara wants to use the gates to take over the world, with the Uchiha clan reigning supreme."

"I... I don't understand." Sasuke took a step backwards, away from his brother. "What gates? What power?"

"There are seven gates throughout the world that connect our reality to the one that all supernatural entities originate from. That world holds power. Power that could be tapped into with the correct runes. With that kind of power... Madara would be unstopable. We cannot let that happen." Itachi stood and stepped towards Sasuke. "I didn't betray you, Sasuke." He spoke softly and moved towards Sasuke as though he was a wounded animal that might bolt at any second. Sasuke's eyes darted towards the door wondering if he could in fact run and make it out of her alive. "Madara found out that I had discovered his plan, and tried to get me to join him. He tried to kill me when I refused. I escaped, and he killed 10 of our clan members and blamed me for it."

"If that was true the why didn't you contact me!? Let me know, let mom and dad know that you were innocent or what Madara was trying to do!" Sasuke snapped back.

"They already know, Sasuke. They are on Madara's side. The clan seems to be divided almost right down the middle on who is in on it. I didn't know who to trust, or if telling you would put you in danger. Though they must have know I would do anything to protect you, as they sent you here to draw me out. If anyone but Kakashi was leading this clan, you would have been attacked as soon as you entered the city." He was standing in front of Sasuke now, and placed his hands on either of his little brother's shoulders. Sasuke looked up at him, that lost feeling was back. He didn't want to believe his brother, It was too horrible to be true, but he did. He believed every word Itachi had said. His own mother and father had sent him to die to get to his brother. His uncle had planned to murder innocent people for power, had destroyed the other clans, and had tried to kill Itachi. "Sasuke, we have to stop him. I need your help."

Sasuke stared at him. He had always trusted Itachi above anyone else. "Ok."


	6. Dream a Little Dream of Me

Chapter 6: Dream a Little Dream of Me.

The sun shone through gaps in the trees, sending rays of light to dance with the shadows of the leaves upon the forest floor. Sasuke hurried along the path as fast as his short legs could carry him to get out of sight of his family home, and his annoying baby sitter. He knew his parents didn't like him to play here, but he was five years old now and had graduated from his kindergarten class already, he could start taking care of himself and certainly didn't need a babysitter.

Shisui was boring and never paid attention to him anyway. All he did was homework. He would much rather have his brother to hang out with than his cousin. Itachi was fun and told him stories and taught him things, like magic, and how to use a sword, even if it was only child's wood sword. But Itachi wasn't here right now. He'd been gone a long time taking on dangerous missions. One day Sasuke would be there to fight along with him, but he had to get stronger first. And that wasn't going to happen hanging out with Shisui. He trudged along the path until he had run out of breath. He stopped and bent over clutching his knees as he gasped trying to breath properly again. Standing up he looked around at the trees and realized that he'd reached the first fork in the path.

He hadn't been this far into the forest alone before, and Itachi had always told him to stick to the main path as the forest was dangerous. Itachi wasn't afraid of anything, so Sasuke couldn't be either. He headed down the path that branched off the main one.  
He walked for awhile and was beginning to feel uneasy. The path was overgrown and narrow and the trees were closer together here so there was less light. Sasuke was beginning to regret his rash behavior, and wondered if he should turn and run back now. Shisui probably hadn't even noticed that he left yet so he wouldn't even get in trouble. Sasuke shook his head and balled his tiny hands into fists, defiantly. No. His brother would never run away and neither would he. Itachi had once told him there was a waterfall at the end of the first path with stones that shone like rubies. Sasuke would reach it retrieve one of the stones before heading back. That would prove to his parents that he could indeed take care of himself and didn't need Shisui. He needed to start training so that he could catch up to Itachi. So Sasuke kept going down the path.

The more he walked, the more nervous he got. He could hear something out in the trees and it made him stop, frozen in place. It sounded like a low growling. He listened, trying to figure out where it was coming from, or what it was coming from. It wasn't a kind of growling he recognized. And the answer hit him and he broke into a run. The sound wasn't growling at all, it was the waterfall, he was almost there. At last he reached a clearing the trees. There was the waterfall it wasn't a big one, but it sure was noisy. Sasuke couldn't see any red stones from here, would have to get closer. But something caught his eye as he approached. There was a broken down shack near the base of the cliff from which the waterfall cascaded down. There was something about the shack that scared Sasuke. He couldn't see auras yet, like his brother could, but he could feel them, and the one he felt coming from the shack in front of him made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. His fear finally got the better of him, and he turned to flee, only to trip and fall flat on his face, knocking himself out.

Sasuke awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily, staring up at the pale colored ceiling of his flat. This particular dream had been plaguing him since arriving in Konoha. He knew it was a memory from when he was very small, but arriving at that shack was as far as the the dream ever went. He couldn't remember what had been in the shack, but there was something in it. Something that he needed to remember. He sat up in bed and rubbed his temples with his thumbs. This nightmare had interrupted his sleep twice this week alone. Why couldn't he just remember? Sighing, he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. Itachi had taken him home the night before, and was currently asleep on the couch. Sasuke debated leaving his room in risk of waking his brother, as Itachi had looked so exhausted yesterday. But his hunger and thrust won out and he slowly opened his bedroom door. He could see the form of his brother still dozing soundly on the oversized couch. He didn't move when the door opened, and his aura had stayed relaxed and that of sleep.  
Sasuke quickly and quietly headed to the kitchen I search of food. He should make something for Itachi too. It was odd, he thought he should feel strange seeing his brother again after so many years, but he didn't. I felt completely natural to have his brother here. It was as though he'd just stopped by for a visit, and hadn't been a missing traitor who'd slaughtered their kin. More questions began to form in Sasukes head as he stared into the freezer, but they weren't questions of Itachi's loyalty and intent. He trusted his brother, and nothing would change that, but how had Itachi come to this particular city? The place where and enemy clan had resided. He pulled a can of orange juice from the freezer and placed it in the microwave. He'd decided on making pancakes for breakfast as he and Itachi has done growing up. He was looking through the cabinets when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Good morning, little brother." Itachi greeted him with a yawn.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Sasuke found what he was looking for and turned out face him. The dark circles under his eyes has lessened, but not disappeared. He stared at his brother for a moment, not quite knowing what to say.

"You still have questions?" He surmised, smiling at Sasuke. The later nodded slowly. "Ok. You cook, I'll answer." And he seated himself on the otherwise of the kitchen island Sasuke was standing at.

"Why here? Why did you come here, when our family was at war with this clan?" He began looking for the other ingredients he needed around the kitchen.

"It was an accident really." He shrugged, " Madara a attacked me when I refused to help him, and I ran. There was no way I could hold them all off on my own. As it was I was gravely wounded." He paused for a moment as though trying to figure out the best way to word the next part of his story. "After Minato was killed, a man named Mizuki was put in charge of the clan. Under him it fell into disrepair. If he had been the one to find me, I would have been killed immediately."

"Who found you then? Kakashi?" Sasuke interrupted impatiently. He was stirring the pancake batter a little too vigorously and had splattered some on the counter. He set the bowl down and grabbed some paper towels to clean it up. Itachi smiled at him before continuing.

"No, I was sitting at the edge of the forest, bleeding to death in enemy territory, when Naruto found me. He knew who I was and what clan I was from. He's Minato's son, you see?" Itachi stopped allowing Sasuke to take in the information.

"And he helped you? Why?" Naruto, why did it always come back to Naruto?

"Without hesitation. He took me and hid me while I healed. He brought me a healer, a witch with incredible abilities. And when I was well enough he asked for my help in reclaiming the clan away from Mizuki." Sasuke placed a plate of food in front of him and took the seat to his right. "Together with the witch, Tsunade, and Kakashi, we overtook Mizuki and the clan members that sided with him. Naruto killed Mizuki himself, and Kakashi took his place as head of the clan."

"Why didn't Naruto take over if it's his family's clan?" The more he learned about Naruto, the more he seemed to want to know.

Itachi shrugged. "He's not old enough for one, he didn't want to, for another." He hesitated again, " he was placed into Mizuki's care after his parents death, and suffered greatly for it. Mizuki was not at all what normal people would consider decent." His face took on pained expression. "He is a very damaged person, but even after everything he has been through, his heart still remains kind. I asked him to watch over you when I learned you would be sent here. I was still on a mission when I got the news. You were meant to draw me out so that Madara could finish me off. He didn't realize that Mizuki was gone, so it actually played out in our favor, wouldn't you say?" He ruffled Sasuke's hair and smiled warmly. "It is good to see you again, little brother."

And for the first time in a very long while, all of Sasukes unease and worry seemed to vanish. He knew the road ahead was going to be long and difficult. Stopping Madara wouldn't be easy, and he assumed neither would closing the gates, but whatever happened from here on out, he had his brother at his side.


	7. The Lucky Ones

Chapter 7: The Lucky Ones

It was another three days before Sasuke and Itachi returned to the Namikaze Clan's headquarters. Itachi had gotten a call from Kakashi early that morning that had made him sit up straighter in his chair and tap his fingers anxiously as he listened. He rose quickly from his seat and left the kitchen where they were eating breakfast, not having said anything into the phone after, "Hello." Sasuke heard the door of the coat closet open and the hangers rattle together as his brother prepared to leave. Sasuke still sat at the kitchen counter, his half a bowl of cereal untouched since the phone rang. Something big had happened, judging by Itachi's unsettled demeanor, but he'd made no indication that he was going to relay the information to Sasuke.

"Yes, I understand," cane His brother's again. A moment later his face appeared in the kitchen doorway, "Are you coming?" Itachi was looking at him impatiently, as though the knowledge that he would be going too should have been obvious to Sasuke.

"Am I allowed to?" He asked through a mouthful of the cereal he'd only just resumed eating. Itachi nodded once, very slowly. Sasuke got up quickly, as to not further irritate his brother, and readied himself as well. He grabbed Brother , as Itachi had adorned his own blade, a sleek black katana which Sasuke had not yet inquired the name of.

They hurried down the steps of Sasuke's apartment towards his car, but as he pulled the keys out of his pocket, Itachi snatched them from his hand. "Oh, I will be needing my car back." He said seriously and then chuckled at the indignant expression on Sasuke's face. This surprised Sasuke as he could not remember the last time he'd seen his brother laugh. "Don't worry, I'll trade you." The amused tone still lingered in his voice. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring which held a tiny silver replica of a two-door, expensive looking sports car. The key ring held no keys.

"Seriously?" He raises an eyebrow at his brother, not sure he was going to like Itachi's new found sense of humor.

Sure enough, Itachi laughed again, "Here," he said taking the ring back from Sasuke. He held the keychain up to his lips and bit into the corner of his thumb drawing blood. He then pressed his bloodied thumb to the underside of the car. The intricate green symbols of a spell began to swirl around his hand and the car, too, began to glow green. Itachi tossed the car into the empty street before them where it landed with a small clink. The symbols continued to swirl as the car expand.

Sasuke looked around frantically, "Are you crazy? Someone is going to see!"

"Relax, it has a number of cloaking spells on it. It's not invisible exactly, just unnoticed. Like something in the corner of your eye, unless you know to look for it." The car completed its expansion and a life-size version of the keychain now sat before them. But as Sasuke watched, it appeared the transformation was not yet complete. Starting at the nose of the car, black tendrils spread across the body until the entire thing was covered in shiny black paint. The image of a cobra, coiled and poised to strike with its fangs bared, formed in deep purple on the hood. The entire process had taken under a minute, and Sasuke stared, with his mouth slightly open, at what was to be his new car. "Where did you…"

Itachi laughed again. "It was Orochimaru's. I borrowed it from him before I left. And now, I'm passing it on to you. It will serve you better than I, anyhow. Shall we?" He walked over to the passenger's side door and got in. It took a great deal of self-control for Sasuke to not sprint to the driver's door in all his excitement. He'd never been fond of his former mentor, but he had been a legendary sorcerer, which meant that this car was bound to have a lot of useful customizations. Sure enough, when he climbed into the driver's seat, the first thing that he noticed was that the car was much larger and spacious on the inside that it appeared to be from the out. He could not stand up inside the vehicle by any means, but there were extra rows of seats in addition to the ones in the front, and it looked as if the could be folded and rearranged to form a comfortable tent like living space while one was on the road. He looked at Itachi and grinned. His brother smiled in return and poked him square in the center of his forehead, "you'll have to play later, little brother. We do really need to be going."

Kakashi and Shikamaru were waiting for them in the library when they arrived. It was still early morning, but all the curtains in the mansion were still drawn. Sasuke guessed that the vampire must be the reason for that. The light emanating from the high chandelier in the middle of the ceiling was more than sufficient to see by, but to Sasuke, it still felt somehow too enclosed. To live one's entire life in shadow, he couldn't even imagine. No, he wasn't going to start feeling empathy for a vampire.

Sasuke looked around the room. It was much larger than he'd thought it was a few days ago, though it looked to be even more untidy. More stacks of books had been added to the long table in the center of the room. Some of them lay crumpled against the walls as if thrown by their readers. There was a sort of tension in the room that Sasuke didn't understand, but it seemed that Itachi felt it too.

"What has happened?" He asked Kakashi. "You said it was urgent."

"We think we may have located the Gate in Konoha," Kakashi said warily. "It coincidentally enough, lies beneath this very mansion..."

"What?! When did that-" but Kakashi cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"About an hour ago, just before I called you. But we still don't know how to seal it." He shook his head and walked over to a particularly old and tattered book in the center of the table. "This is the only text we've managed to find on the topic," he indicated the open pages, "the only thing it tells us is that it requires some sort of sacrifice. But as to the nature of that sacrifice, it's rather vague. I could be a something as small as a drop of blood or a child's toy, or it could be the entire city. We just don't know."

"We've delayed entering the chamber so far." Shikamaru continued, "there's a powerful energy emanating from the room, and we don't know what will happen when we open the doors."

"You haven't even opened the doors?" All eyes turned to Sasuke as he spoke, as though they'd forgotten he was in the room.

"No," Shikamaru responded flatly. "They're…" he paused and looked around the room trying to find a word to describe what he needed to say.

"Growling." Kakashi finished for him.

"The doors are growling?" Itachi and Sasuke asked in unison.

But it was a voice from the balcony above them that answered: "No, something behind the doors is growling, obviously." It was Sakura. She was leaning against the railing with her arms crossed along the smooth wooden surface of the banister. Gaara stood beside her facing the opposite direction. His own arms are crossed in front of his chest and looked down at them over his shoulder. Both of them were in fully geared up for battle. Sasuke was surprised he hadn't seen them when they'd arrived. "Something massive is growling behind those doors if the sheer volume of it is any indication."

"There is no other way into the chamber, other than through those doors," Gaara added.

"So," Sakura straightened up and smiled, "we're going through."

Kakashi and Shikamaru nodded in agreement, "but we may need everyone, and we must be ready for anything." Kakashi looked up and the two on the landing, "speaking of everyone, I will need the three of you," he gestured to Sasuke as well, "to go find Naruto, and convince him to join us." Gaara shifted uncomfortably but did not protest. Sasuke noted that all the wounds he'd suffered at Naruto's hands a few day previous, had healed, and he wondered in half demons possessed the same quick healing abilities that full demons did. Sasuke was about to voice his complaint about being sent in this errand, but a look from his brother quelled the objections.

Sakura was the only one who seemed ready and willing for this particular plan. She nodded to Kakashi as she descended the staircase, "I know where he is likely to be." And without waiting for the other two, strode quickly from the room. Sasuke and Gaara hesitated and looked at each blankly, before catching up to their senses and hurrying after her. They caught up with her at the base of the marble staircase as she waited for the passage behind the statue to open.

"Ah, I was beginning to wonder if you two were actually going to join me or not." She tapped her foot impatiently as the statue slid slowly out of the way. Both boys remained silent, neither being there of their own free will. Sakura rolled her eyes at them as she entered the passage. "He's really not that bad once you get to know him." They scoffed.

"He set a werewolf on me."

"He broke my arm."

"He injured your pride, you mean?" She laughed. "Kiba never would have hurt you, Sasuke. He has remarkable control when he's transformed. The pack locking themselves up is more of a precaution than anything. He only attacked you in defense, to get you to leave. If you had gone in there while he was chained, he would have been a sitting duck." She looked at Gaara next, "Don't even get me started on you. After that crap you pulled, you're lucky he didn't kill you. Tsunade thinks that since he wore that necklace for so damn long, all his demonic energy was just bottled up. Then when you broke it, it all came surging out at once." She paused thoughtfully, "I'm still amazed he was able to control it, struggles with that even at normal levels. I think your brother must be training him," She added to Sasuke.

This struck a nerve, and he halted as they entered the top of the chamber where Naruto and Gaara had fought. His brother, who hadn't contacted him at any point for the past five years, and been training a half-breed demon instead of his own little brother. The very thing Sasuke had so longed for throughout his school days, had been gifted to someone else. A monster, at that.

Sakura continued down the path to the ground floor, not noticing his ceased movement. Gaara, however, did notice and he also stopped and looked up the path at him. He squinted looking both amused and puzzled, "Does that bother you?" There was a slightly condescending sneer curling up the corner of his mouth.

"Mind your own business." Sasuke hissed at him angrily.

The red head snarled and glared back, "Don't you look down on me you arrogant little-"

"Boys! Enough!" Sakura scowled at both of them. "Look," she sighed with exasperation, "I haven't figured it out yet, but there's a reason they are pairing us up like this. All of this is bigger than us, and we are going to need each other to get through it." And as if that settled the matter she turned on her heel marched down to the bottom of the basin. Gaara followed her silently, but Sasuke glowered at her back. He would go along, but only because his brother had asked. They had each other, he and Itachi, and he didn't need anyone else.

Reaching the bottom of the basin, Sakura took the path that Naruto had disappeared down after the fight. Gaara involuntarily rubbed his arm as they walked through the grounds, the memory of his defeat still evidently paining him. The tunnel was dark. The lights that followed them throughout the upper part of the sanctum didn't work down this far, and Sakura and Sasuke lit their own rune lights to see by. Gaara either didn't know how to use runes, or didn't need to. Judging by the graceful way he navigated the passage on his own, Sasuke reckoned it was the later.

"So, let me get this straight: he has little control over his demonic abilities, he has a temper and a perverse sense of humor that puts people in danger, he hates everyone , or want to help, and you think we should all just be friends?" Gaara had decided to continue their earlier conversation.

"I didn't say friends. I said we need to work together." Her tone was brusque and impatient. "And he doesn't hate anyone"

"Why are you so quick to defend him, are you dating?" He accused her with disgust.

"No. I'm not dating him. He's still single if you want to ask him out though." She replied scathingly, and before Gaara could find a retort, she added, "I treated him the same as everyone else did when we were growing up. Like garbage, like an outcast." Her voice took on a sad regretful note, "and then one night, about three years ago a man broke into my family home. He murdered my parents before doing what he pleased with was about to kill me, and would have too, if Naruto hadn't heard my screams. He was just passing nearby, and despite the cruelty I'd shown him, he didn't hesitate to come to my rescue." Her voice stayed remarkably steady as she spoke. "He ripped out the mans heart, wrapped me in a blanket and carried me here to Kakashi and Tsunade. He stayed at my side for days while I recovered. He knew exactly how I felt, as the same thing had been done to him countless times, and he didn't want me to go through it alone," Her voice still stayed steady, but her hand moved towards her face to wipe away tears, hidden from both boys. "I didn't know what he was back then, I only knew that he was different. But when I saw him in a demonic state for the first time, I didn't think of him as a monster. He was my savior." She stoped and turned to face them both, her face stern and resolute. "Everything I am is because of him. I owe him a debt that I cannot repay, and I will defend him with everything I have." Gaara fell silent for the rest of their journey, as did Sasuke.

He wasn't sure how far they had walked, but they must be out side the iron gates of the mansion by now. Suddenly Sakura stopped, and Gaara, who had been staring at something just beyond Sasuke's Circle of light, nearly walked into her. She raised her hand with her rune above her head to cast its light further and reveal that they were standing before larger stone double doors. The doors were massive. Wide enough and tall enough to fit two semi trucks side belt side. "A very long time ago the clan worked like a small city, where hunters and supernatural being and creatures lived side by side. We are entering what used to be the residential area." As the moved closer, Sasuke saw that the doors were already ajar enough for them to slide easily though. On the other side were even more tunnels, branching off in grid like pattern. Homes lined each street, each connected to its neighbor. All inhabitants long gone. They reminded Sasuke of ghostly two story townhouses in suburban neighborhoods, only with a stone ceiling instead of a sky. Sakura took the first street to the right that they had come to. A faint blue light glowed from a window midway down the row, and she hurried towards it, Sasuke and Gaara on her heels. She didn't bother to knock when they arrived at the front door to the house, but through it open and marched inside. Sasuke and Gaara paused at the open door and peered inside before following her.

The house looked to be empty except for the living room to their right. The blue glow was coming from an older tv sitting atop a small dresser. Across from that was an equally old and tattered couch, in the center of which sat Naruto. He was shirtless and holding a gaming controller in his hands. Sasuke could faintly hear music coming from the headphones he wore over his backwards baseball cap.

His gazed was fixed on the intruders that had had just burst through his door.

"We've talked about the knocking thing, Sakura." He said with air of someone describing the weather. His eyes returned to the game he was playing.

"As if you'd ever answer if someone did knock. I'm not waiting around all day to be ignored." She folded her arms and leaned sideways against the wall.

"Then just take the hint." But Sakura ignored him stared to tell him about the gate and why they'd come.

Naruto continued to play his game while she spoke, not acknowledging anything she said.

"So are you going to help us?"

"Why should I help you?"

"Um, the possible fate of the world is at stake. Shouldn't that be enough of a reason?" He continue to play, and Sakura rubbed her temples. "How are you three so hopeless? Yes, we have all been through a lot of crap in our lives, but we are still breathing, still standing. We are lucky, and we should be doing something with that." Naruto stopped playing and raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you even know Itachi was back?"

He smirked at her and held up his phone. Sakura's mouth fell open.

"You already talked to him."

"Yup."

"You knew we were coming."

"Yup."

"You already decided to help."

"Yup."

"You made us walk all the way here?!"

He chuckled softly, standing up from the couch to stretch. Sasuke's eyes unconsciously roamed over each muscle of his well toned torso. "I wanted to hear your rousing speech about friendship and camaraderie." He grabbed a nearby t-shirt and pulled it on over his head. "You're both helping then?" He addressed Sasuke and Gaara in the doorway

Gaara shrugged, "why not?"

Naruto smiled warmly at him, any animosity apparently forgotten. "Heh, why not, indeed. Ok then. Let's go hunting."


	8. Shadow and Flame

Chapter 8: Shadow and Flame

The journey back was relatively quiet. Sakura appeared to be relatively irritated at their wasted journey and had hit Naruto roughly in the shoulder as they left the abandoned village. Naruto had laughed, despite wincing at the strength of the blow that nearly knocked him over. His laughter echoed through the abandoned city, giving it a haunting feeling despite its rich, light tone. Sasuke thought that if there weren't such dire issues to attend to, he would have liked to explore this place more.

Sakura and Sasuke walked down the center of the path with their light runes, and Gaara and Naruto stayed to either side, just out of the lights reach. Though he could not see them physically, Sasuke could still see their auras, as long as nothing tangible blocked his line of sight. Gaara's aura was static and stayed to Sakura's right though most of their trek. Naruto's, paused every now and then, and grew smaller as he walked further out into the darkness before coming back to walk opposite of Gaara on Sasuke's left. He had not realized on their journey out that the passage was so vast, and he was getting the eerie feeling that he was being watched.

The demons rejoined him and Sakura in the light as they neared the entrance to the large main chamber. Itachi, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and a blond woman that Sasuke didn't recognize, were waiting for them there. The woman was clothed in green scrubs and looked very tired judging by the dark circles under her eyes. The other three were dressed similarly to how Sakura had been when she met Sasuke in the woods, with dark pants, long sleeved shirts, and green vests baring a leaf symbol on the back. They stood in a small circle talking quietly until Itachi saw their group approaching and the conversation died suddenly. There was a rather awkward air in the chamber that felt full of things unspoken between the two groups.

"Are you all prepared?" Kakashi asked them as they came to a stop. "Well, as prepared as any of us can be, that is." Sasuke still had reservations about it all. Going through some door that held untold danger, without any foreknowledge whatsoever. He had always been prepared for every monster he had ever faced, had made sure of it, but now he was in a situation where that just wasn't possible. They were flying blind, and it made his stomach churn. He nodded with the other three, regardless, but felt his brother's knowing eyes linger over him.

Kakashi nodded back at them slowly, "This way then."

They followed him to a room that lay at the back of the cavern, opposite of where Kakashi's office had been. "The doorway is several stories below us, but we've created a sort of short cut." He opened the door of the room and they all entered. The room was virtually empty save for the regular self lighting lanterns that dawned the rest of the base, and a large stone circle in the center of the room. It was hovering several inches above the ground, spinning very slowly. Strange symbols circled its edge glowing a soft light blue. Kakashi, Itachi, and Shikamaru walked to the center of the stone and the symbols turned a faint red. Naruto didn't hesitate to follow suit, but the other three paused to glance at each other before doing the same.

The blonde woman stayed near the doorway, and Sakura looked at her questioningly "I will wait here, just in case," she told her with a soft smile. Sakura only nodded, just as nervous as the rest of them. "Just remember what I've taught you." She bowed her head gently to them all, and departed the room, closing the door behind her.

The symbols on the stone beneath them glowed even brighter and began to shake, and then they were moving downwards. It was an elevator, Sasuke realized. A magical, slightly terrifying, elevator. They were descending fast, for some time, and he was starting to feel sick, when they came to an abrupt stop, dust rising around the lift, obscuring his vision and their surroundings. Before the dust settled Kakashi and Itachi stepped off the lift and disappeared from normal sight. Sasuke hurried after their auras and the others stayed on his heels. They weren't in a room this time, but the end of collapsed passage, Sasuke noted when the dust had settled enough for them to see. Fire burning torches lit the walls on once side every so often casting dim, yellow light around them. Their shadows dancing across the opposite stone walls in the flicking glow. The dead end came to a tee in the path. The left fork appeared to be the long way down to the passage as it was unlit. The torches continued their right another five hundred or so feet, at the end of which lay the door they'd come to unwittingly open. Sasuke could feel as well as see the energy from the door at the end of hallway, even from this distance. It seeped in to his skin and turned his blood cold, but still they all moved forward. The door itself was simple enough. Two large panels of wood that rose to meet the ten foot ceiling and joined in the center by chains wrapped around two curved iron handles. A low rumbling growl reached his ears as they neared. The doors tumbled in response, chains jingling, as the wind blew through the seams, disrupting the dirt and dust.

"This is it." Kakashi told them. Sasuke's hand rested tensely on the hilt of his sword as Kakashi drew the rune for fire in the air before him and pushed it gently forwards to meet the rough grains of wood that blocked their path. The symbols stayed burning on the surface for only a moment before twisting a spreading to every corner. The wood didn't burn but disintegrated as the rune touched it, leaving only the metal hinges, handles, and chains behind. They dropped to the ground with a soft clang a gust of wind swept over them, extinguishing the torches. Darkness and silence fell. Footsteps sounded from either side of the as Naruto's and Gaara's auras moved forward. As they crossed through the archway that had just been a door, green flames erupted in two colanders to either side. The rest of the party stepped up beside them as the more colanders spontaneously came to life, revealing their surroundings. Not far in front of them, the path dropped off, straight down several stories into yet another huge chamber. In the center of the room stood an enormous column carved with the faces of three dogs stacked on top of one another like a totem pole. They shook lightly and growled, but remained frozen stone. The chamber was cold, and Sasuke realized as he stood near one of the green fires, that it emitted no heat.

Itachi stepped forward to the ledge but was halted by Naruto.

"No." He said firmly placing a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke felt a stab of irritability at the familiar touch to his kin.

"He's right." Gaara had stepped up beside Naruto.

"We'll go first." Shikamaru, too, joined them.

"We're more durable." Naruto winked at them. He held his hands out to either side of him and is swords appeared in his hands. Now at a much closer distance, Sasuke could see that he wasn't actually summoning anything, but molding and condensing his own aura into a weapon.

The three of them turned to the edge and leapt off without hesitation. The four left behind stood at the edge of the cliff and watch as they walked towards the statue several stories below them. When they reached it, the statue still remained stone, but the scale of the column became more clear. None of the creatures that stood before it even reached the top of the first head. Sasuke felt the desire swell inside him to see the jaws of the statue open and swallow the three beasts, saving him the trouble of killing them himself later.

Shikamaru turned back to look up at them and shouted, "There's an alter behind it." He pointed to something they couldn't see from their perch and walked towards it.

"Wait!" Sakura shouted in a panic, but it was too late. As Shikamaru rounded the column, a loud crack sounded through the camber and deep fissures appeared across the statue. The growling grew louder as more cracks appeared and the stone began to fall away. Naruto and Gaara ran back to a safer distance, rejoined by Shikamaru. Sasuke's own hand returned to his sword. Beside him, Sakura drew Mercy, black lines had spread from her forehead, crisscrossing her face, neck, an arms. 'Witch', Sasuke thought. He had never met a real one before and was taken a back. She moved to jump, and landed gracefully on the ground below, followed by Kakashi. Itachi turned to Sasuke regarding him, his face somewhat disapproving, before he to raced to join the others. Sasuke was left standing alone on the ledge, confused at his brother's reaction. Shaking his head he watched and more stone fell away from the column as it crumbled into a heap, turning black and rearranging to form a massive three headed dog that towered above the fighters. Flames glowed in its eyes and mouth as well as down the back of its jet black body. Sasuke jumped at last. Whatever his feelings towards the rest, he would not leave his brother to fight alone.

The beast opened the jaws of its center head to snap at them all as the other two sets of jaws opened to spit fire over them just as Sasuke arrived. There was no time for shield runes to protect everyone as the fire descended. Shikamaru darted forwards forcing his aura out into a shadowy wall, shielding them from the flames.

"Quickly!" He shouted back at them, "I can't hold it long!"

Sasuke seized the opportunity presented by of all three head being occupied and pulled lightning runes into each hand sending them flying in long chain at the two heads spouting flames. The beast cried in pain and reared back, giving them a chance to regroup.

"Nice!" He heard Naruto's voice beside him as the boy ran forwards to attack with his swords. Running up the beasts legs as it continued to howl in pain, he jumped onto the muzzle of the center head and drove a blade into each eye. The head shook him off and he tumbled to the ground at its feet. The dog shook its self, casting off bits of fire as Naruto ran back to the party.

"It's not working, look!" Kakashi yelled from his right. The beasts all turned back to them, the places Sasuke and Naruto has hit it, burned with orange flame as black fur and flesh stitched itself back together.

"Sasuke! Hit it again." Itachi instructed him. "Hold it back."

Sasuke did so, but this time he was joined by Kakashi, to hit all three heads. It howled in rage, but this time didn't flinch, and jaws opened to snap down. Shikamaru managed to shield them in time once again, but was knocked back to the ground by the force of the blow. The vampire pushed himself to his knees but was unable to stand as jaws reopened. Sasuke released his lighting unable to hold the spell and longer. He panted heavily wracking his brain for something to try next, as balls of Fire formed in each great maw.

Gaara and Naruto jumped in front of Shikamaru. Naruto placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder and their auras joined together. Gaara molded the aura in to three shields as Naruto has done with his swords. The jaws realized they fireballs towards the group, but where blocked by Gaara's shields.

"Sakura, Mercy!" She nodded once and sprinted towards Naruto. He released Gaara's shoulder and turned towards her, crossing his swords in front of him. She leapt upwards as she reached him, her feet landed square I. The center of the blades and he launched her forcefully in to the air. Her small body sailed through the air over the beasts back. It's ears turned and the three heads looked up at her, teeth bared and dripping with flames. Sasuke reaches within himself for all the strength he had left and sent one last blast of lighting at the dogs now exposed chest. At the same time, Sakura hurled her blade downwards into its back. It roared in anger as Mercy and Sasukes lightning pierced its heart. The great heads hung limply as it staggered forwards and collapsing to the ground with a force that shook the entire chamber. The body lay before them for a moment before it, like the door they'd come through, disintegrated into nothingness. Singed, dirty, and exhausted, they stood watching their foe vanish. When no trace of the monstrous dog remained, their attention turned in unison to the now unguarded alter that awaited them.


	9. Ready Steady Go

Chapter 9: Ready Steady Go

As the beast vanished before them and the last embers turned to ash as they floated through the air, Sasuke's attention turned once again the glowing alter at the back of the cavern. The ash and earth crunched beneath his boots as moved towards it, echoing through the otherwise silent chamber. His brother joined his movement and fell into line beside him, the rest of the party following behind. Sasuke felt oddly drawn to the alter as though it were calling to him closer. It was simple enough in design, a large stone circle etched with the image of a dragon devouring its own tail.

"Wrath." Itachi said absently. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it too echoed through the vast emptiness.

"Huh?" Naruto had stepped up on Itachi's other side. He had not bothered to lower his voice and the resulting sound grated on Sasuke's nerves.

Itachi pointed to the alter and specifically the dragon symbol, turning to address Naruto, though the rest of the party listened intently as well.

"That symbol is traditionally one of those used to depict the seven deadly sins. This on represents wrath."

The had reached the alter now, standing before it, not one of them daring to go and closer. Two cauldrons of the strange green flames sat to either side of the stone slab, nd the resulting shadows swayed back and forth across the etching giving the dragon the appearance of movement. As Sasuke examined closer he noticed something odd.

The alter seemed to flicker and was blurry at times. At first he thought it was the flames, casting a haze of heat before his vision, but as he stood near one of cauldrons he realized he felt cold still. His proximity to the flames meant he should definitely feel them, should have felt them as they approached. He walked closer to one and reached out his hand, noticing Naruto watch him closely. His hand was inches from the flames now and still he could not feel them. There was no heat, so what was causing the haze? He turned to his brother who was now in a deep whispered conversation with Kakashi. Naruto was still facing him, but his eyes looked right though him as he tried to listen in on the conversation. Sasuke was curious as to how good the demons hearing was.

"It'll be fine. We're running out of time. I'm the best choice." Itachi said at last in a regular volume. He looked first at Naruto, who had turned at the sound of his voice and was now giving Itachi a look of concern, and then to Sasuke.

"I believe I've figured it out." He told them all. "Follow me through the veil and stay to the edges of the circle."

Veil? What veil was he talking about? The haze? But before he could ask further, he turned and stepped onto the alter, vanishing from sight. Alarmed, Sasuke sprinted after him. As he passed through the haze, a mild tingling sensation radiated through his body. He came to a stop on the other side and Itachi stood there watching him with a smile.

"Welcome to the Veil, little brother." He chuckled lightly.

"The what?" He panted lightly. Looking around he everything still looked the same. He could see the others still on the other side, moving forwards, but they were blurry as if he was looking at them through a fog. Naruto was the next to enter, followed closely by Sakura.

Itachi wait for everyone to enter before continuing. They followed his orders and stood to the edge of the circle while Itachi stood in the center as though they were his class and he their teacher. However, before he could explain further what the veil was or what they were doing in it, something began to glow white and shined brightly behind him.

Itachi whirled around quickly as three ghostly figures materialized in the space at the head of the alter. They stood side by side, translucent and shimmering, as the surveyed the party. They were human, or had once been human. Brothers by the looks of it.

"We have been defeated." All three spoke at once in eerily perfect unison. "But there is still a price to be paid."

"See that's the part I haven't figured out yet. What price." Itachi asked with apprehension hanging in his voice. Sasuke was beginning to feel very uneasy. Their faces were blank and devoid of any emotion. Their eyes white and unseeing.

"We were young when our village was destroyed ." The tallest ghostly figure began. "We thought power from the Veil could help us seek vengeance for our loved ones."

"We were right, to an extent." The next figure continued the story. "We opened the Veil from this portal, and were granted the knowledge of magic, but at a cost."

"We promised to use the Veil's gift patiently and take only the lives we needed, but it consumed us. Through our wrath we sought our vengeance, claiming the live of thousands in our conquest. The Veil was corrupted. And then Death came." The last of the three finished.

"To cleanse the Veil and seal the gate, our debt must be repaid. Magic it gave, and so magic it must take." They once again said in perfect unison.

"I understand." Itachi replied. Sasuke however did not understand, and was suddenly very afraid for his brother. He stepped forward on to the circle, and so, to his surprise did Naruto. Itachi held up a hand to both of them, halting them in their place. He then pulled a knife from his belt and drew it across his palm, letting the blood flow on to smooth stone surface beneath his feat.

There was a blinding flash of light and all went dark. He heard Sakura gasp to his right, and the sound of a sword being draw somewhere to his left. Sasuke summoned a light rune as fast as he could to moving through the dark to the place he had last seen his brother. The rune flickered to life just as he reached Itachi. His brother was kneeling in the center of the alter, gasping and clutching at Naruto who had beaten Sasuke to his side. Sasuke stared at him in disbelief. Through the ability of his Sharingan, it was clear looking at Itachi's aura, that his magic was gone.

Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed with his arms resting on his knees. It was a little after five in the morning, but he'd been awake for maybe an hour. The dream of the shack had been plaguing him more and more and had woken him once again tonight. He sighed and flopped backwards onto his bed, staring up at the blank, white ceiling. His body ached all over. In the two week since their first encounter with a gate, Kakashi had insisted that Sasuke's, Naruto's, Gaara's, and Sakura's training intensify immensely. This usually involved putting them against one another in the main cavern. While dueling the other three was indeed giving him a much wider variety of training than he'd ever experienced, he'd still rather have trained with his brother. But that's possible now, and might never be again.

The sacrifice of his magic and severely weakened Itachi. He'd had to lean on both himself and Naruto in order to walk out of the chamber, and had since been resting in the clan's Medical bay. It had been two weeks, and there was no improvement in his condition. He'd spent the first few nights at Itachi's side, until his brother had forced him to go home, and back to school, and Kakashi's training.

School was distracting for Sasuke and felt more like busy Work than anything of actual value. Sakura was still attending as well, looking as tired as Sasuke felt, and often ate lunch with him. Though their conversation was conversational at best, Sasuke found her presence and relaxed aura almost comforting, despite the power he knew she possessed. He had not seen Gaara or Naruto at the school, and usually found them training or browsing the library for answers they too lacked.

Sasuke still made the effort to visit everyday, despite his current exhaustion. And to his annoyance, so did Naruto. The blond demon spent just as much time with Itachi that Sasuke did, and he had a suspicion that there was something between them that Sasuke had yet to understand. It bothered him deeply, but he was more concerned with his brother's health to be as angry about it as he normally would. Sasuke had wondered if it would bother him the same way if Naruto weren't a half breed.

Naruto's vagueness still annoyed him, but the demon boy was by far his favorite person to fight in their trainings. They were all pretty evenly matched. Sakura was skilled with a blade, but her rune magic was not nearly as strong as Sasuke's. What she lacked in destruction knowledge, she made up for in healing abilities. Gaara lacked power in his attacks, but made up for in vast knowledge of defensive, that impressed even the tactical minded Shikamaru. Sasuke excelled in destructive magic, but was unable to heal, and Sakura could nearly always beat him with a blade. And then there was Naruto. What he lacked in defenses, he made up for in raw power, speed, and unpredictability. He had had the least training of any of them, and Sasuke was sure that that was the only reason they were able to beat him when they did. The potential he possessed rattled Sasuke. No one who held power like that, let alone a demon with a grudge against people, should be taken lightly, and Sasuke was determined to stay ahead of Naruto's progress. It was clear the boy wasn't going anywhere, so it was up to Sasuke to keep him in check.

Sasuke was becoming frustrated with the lack of information that the senior members of the clan were willing to divulge. Itachi had not been anymore forthcoming with any further information about the Veil itself or what had transpired in the cavern. They were being trained as warriors but being treated like children. If the other three members of his team, for team was certainly what Kakashi was trying to make, were concerned, they had not spoken of it to Sasuke.

He raised his arms of his head, stretching out his sore back. He might as well get up. There was no sense in laying about anymore, and the likelihood of falling back asleep was now very slim. He rolled out of bed and stretched again before heading to the kitchen.

As Sasukes feet hit the kitchen floor, there came a soft knock at his front door. He approached cautiously. His heart began to beat faster as he turned the handle and hope bloomed in his chest that it would be Itachi, well again and ready to leave this place. It wasn't Itachi at the door, but Naruto, Gaara, and Sakura who stood before him in pre morning darkness. All three of the were clad in the standard Namikaze clan uniform that Sakura normally wore. He stared at them in surprise, but they did not ask to come in.

"So we've been talking, and doing a lot of thinking." Sakura started, chewing her lip in nervousness.

Gaara, picking up on her hesitation, continued for her, "We think it's time we," He gestured to all of them, including Sasuke, "left and started looking for the next gate on our own."

"It's what they're training us for, you see?" Sakura had found her voice again. "But, we're going crazy too... waiting. Not know what we're waiting for." She paused again. Naruto had remained quiet but was watching Sasuke intently.

"So you all want to run away in the middle of the night and just hope we can somehow find the next gate, when this one took a clan years to locate in their own base... and somehow not die?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his teammates.

"Well, we know there is a gate in each city. We planned to just start in Sunagakaru, and go from there." Gaara was eying him impatiently.

Sasuke thought about it, leaning against the doorway, they all watched him, waiting for his answer. He knew they would go, whether he agreed to go with them or not. If he left, he ran the risk of grave injury and disappointing his brother, but if he stayed, he ran the risk of dying of boredom or exploding from frustration. Silently, he agreed with their plight. They'd learned all they could, and all that was willingly to be given.

"It's time to go." He agreed, nodding slowly.

"Get packed, we should leave wishing the hour." Sakura smiled at him, entering his apartment, and plopping herself in the center of the couch. Naruto and Gaara came in and sat beside her as the awkwardly waited for Sasuke to get ready.

Packing went swiftly. Sasuke didn't have much to begin with, and there was nothing her really needed besides clothes and a sleeping roll. He stopped before his book case, debating which books would be of most value.

"We can bring them all, never know when they'll come in handy," Sakura chuckled. Sasuke was skeptical, but Gaara enthusiastically helped him grab books and carry them down to where Sakura had parked. Her car was an old SUV style car that resembled an old fashioned ambulance to Sasuke. The bottom and top where an off white color, and a thick mint green stripe ran the length of both sides and across the back. There was a large sticker depicting a cute slug on the lower right quadrant of the tailgate, and when she lifted the door, Sasuke was shocked to see an entire room within the vehicle. It was just like the one Itachi had given him.

He stared opened mouth and she laughed at his expression. "It was Tsunade's. She and Orochimaru were teammates ones. They all had one of these if some sort."

Sasuke was about to ask how she knew about his car, but remembered that Itachi had been with the clan longer than she had, and it was perfectly plausible for her to have seen it while in it had been in his possession.

He loaded the books and his bags into the car and went back up after Gaara to grab the rest. Naruto stopped him in the top of the stairs.

"Itachi said to give you this, but to open it later." His expression and tone were unreadable as he handed Sasuke a small parcel wrapped in twine. Without another word he descended the stairs and climbed into the backseat of the car behind Sakura.

Sasuke and Gaara finished grabbing books, before going to join them. He took a moment while locking the door to survey the little apartment he'd called home the past few months and closed it behind him for what he knew may be the last time.

They finished loading and Gaara took the front passenger seat, leaving Sasuke to sit in the back with Naruto, who had fallen asleep against the door. Sakura started the engine and it rumbled to life. Sasuke rested his head against the window and stared out at the lightening morning sky. It wasn't long, watching traffic and street lights as the passed, before he too fell into a deep and much needed sleep.

A/N: thank you so to everyone who has read the story. I really appreciate your comments and your time and interest to get this far.

I drew a lot more from the World of Dungeons and Dragons than I did from anything like Supernatural. I will do my best to to explain things, but if something doesn't make sense, please let me know and I will adjust accordingly.

Comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome. I have not written a lot and strive to get better with each chapter and story that I write.


	10. Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Chapter 10: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

The first few days on the road seemed to blend together in Sasuke's head when he tried to think back on them. Their first stop would be Suna, according to Sakura and Gaara. The trip would take an entire week if they were to drive straight through, which they all had agreed would be detrimental to their mission, and thus they stopped each night to rest and train, making the trip take nearly twice as long. Sasuke had readily agreed to the plan in the beginning, but after the first week he was starting to grow irritable.

It was night and Sasuke found himself sitting on a reclining chair in the rear room of Sakura's vehicle. The space was about the size of an average living room and consisted of a fireplace, an old radio that they regularly used to check the news, the worn recliner that Sasuke currently occupied, an L shaped sofa, several bookshelves, a rudimentary kitchen, and to the far side of the room, a set of bunk beds. Most sleeping nights were spent in here. Sakura would take the top bunk, Gaara the bottom, Naruto took the couch, and Sasuke would fold down the back seats of the cab that lay against at the front of the room.

Sasuke was alone in here at the moment. The other three, claiming it was too stuffy inside, sat around a fire they'd conjured outside the lift gate of the car. They had left the door open in an attempt to keep Sasuke included after he had bluntly refused to join them, and their laughter drifted in on the air.

Sasuke felt another stab of irritation as he glanced out at them. Sakura and Gaara has spent the majority of the evening attempting to teach Naruto how to fight more defensively, which he had failed miserably at. He sat beside the fire nursing his already healing wounds as his teammates poked fun at him.

Naruto smiled in good humor and even added to their jokes. He was usually good natured, and that stupid lopsided grin remained etched into his features when he was being engaged in a conversation. However, Sasuke noticed the expression of sadness that donned his face when he thought no one was looking. He'd noticed something else as well, but he wasn't entirely if he was imagining it or not. When he'd first met the blond haired boy, his aura had appeared to be that of a humans, and looked blue to Sasuke's Sharingan. When he had fought Gaara it had turned a deep orange, after which it'd settled back into a rich gold color. That one seemed to be his natural color, but every now and then, Sasuke had begun to notice flashes of red that lasted less than a second. He was completely unsure of what they meant or if he was really even sure that he was seeing them at all. It was typical for auras to change slightly based on a variety of things, but Sasuke had never really paid much attention to it before. He'd simply looked to see which ones were human and which weren't.

Sasuke was not sure why he'd even noticed it, but then, he'd begun to notice a lot more about Naruto in the past week. He had chalked it up to the proximity of sitting beside him for twelve hours a day, but even now that Naruto was some distance away, Sasuke found himself watching the boy. The other two had turned their conversation inwards and were debating some political issues that Sasuke had no interest in. Naruto's gaze was focused on the fire, and the expression on his face was one Sasuke knew well, as it was one he too often felt. Loneliness. That's what it was.

An odd feeling began to rise In Sasukes chest, and he shook his head, returning to his reading. He shouldn't be this concerned about a half breeds feelings. Or anyone's, for that matter.

The book that lay open in his lap was in fact what had been in the package Naruto had handed him before they'd left. It was Itachi's journal. The material consisted of all the knowledge that his brother had collected over his many years of hunting. Everyone in his clan wrote their own as they traveled and hunted, passing their knowledge down to the next generation. He supposed that Itachi thought that he wouldn't be neededing his journal any longer and had passed it to Sauske. He was greatful, but knowing that he would never fight beside his brother again, saddened him deeply. What was more, Itachi had known they were leaving and was apparently ok with it. That eased Sasuke's consciousness immensely, but he still felt the twitch in his stomach the was jealousy over knowing Itachi had said goodbye to Naruto and not himself.

Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. He couldn't concentrate at all today. The nightmare of the Shack he'd encountered as a boy had plagued his dreams almost nightly, allowing for very little sleep. His emotions and thoughts were a jumbled mess that frustrated him to almost a boiling point. Rubbing the side of his face with the palm of his hand, his eyes found Naruto's face once again. This time, however, Naruto was looking back at him with a curious expression. Their eyes met for only a moment before a loud crack of thunder pealed over the tops of the trees, and a flash lightning illuminated the cloudless sky.

Immediately they were all on their feet, and Sasuke joined them outside. The journal falling to the floor beside the chair. The night sky was still once again but the thunder had rung with the unmistakable tinge of magic. The echo made it almost impossible to discern the direction it had come from.

Sakura closed the hatch of the car as Sasuke doused the fire with magic, leaving them with only the light of the moon.

"We should split up and look for the source of whatever that was." Gaara suggested

"I'll go with you. Naruto, Sasuke?" Sakura replied almost too quickly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. Sakura and Gaara often did this, and Sasuke suspected that they could really care less about where the sound had come from and just wanted the chance to be alone together. Though there were times he was also certain that both of them also had an unrequited crush on Naruto.

"We'll go south." Sasuke replied blandly and headed off without waiting for a reply or to see if Naruto followed. A few moments later, heavy footsteps sounded beside him as the demon boy caught up.

"Ten bucks says they're sleeping together." He said to Sasuke when they were out of earshot. He laced his fingers behind his head in a relaxed manner as the walked.

"Obviously." Sasuke spat back at him. He wasn't in the mood for joking or games. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep. There was a pause in Naruto's step, and he stayed quiet as they continued on.

Neither if them spoke as they walked. The rhythmic crunch of their boots in soft earth combined with the smell of pine on the light breeze that danced around them, had lulled Sasuke into a much more relaxed, almost sleepy state. Sasuke estimated they'd gone about a mile before he stole a glanceover at his lteammate. Naruto was still walking with his fingers laced behind his head, gazing up at the stars with a slight smile on his handsome face.

After some time, they reached the end of the path they'd chosen. The forest had dissolved into a small clearing that ended in a steep cliff. They stopped here, staying some distance apart. The warm night air blew through Sasuke's hair as he took in picturesque landscape, bathed in glowing moonlight. Under different circumstances, he would have like to stay here for awhile. But they were out here for a reason, and he decided to break the silence and the awkward air that he'd created between them. "Do you hear anything?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd keep it to myself just to be helpful." Naruto replied in an overly sarcastic tone.

His teammates attitude was justified, given Sasuke's equally bad behavior as of late, but he was too tired to care and rounded on the blonde, "You..." he began, but the threats and insults that'd sprung his mind, died there as a blast of lightning threw them apart.

Sasuke hit the ground hard and was winded. He blinked rapidly, his vision was blurry and his ears were ringing. He struggled to his feet gasping for breath as he whirled around wildly seeking the source. He could make out Naruto's form about twent yards away. The boy shouted something at him but Sasuke couldn't hear. He staggered and almost fell over again. Another flash, but this one seemed to come at him in slow motion. There was no time to react, but suddenly he was moving backwards and again hit the ground. This time though, Naruto's arms were around his waist, having pulled him out of the way just in time. He pulled Sasuke up to his feet and pointed toward the edge of the forest they had just come from.

A man in a ragged black robe stood staring at him. His greasy black hair hung in his face as he began to laugh maniacally.

"Who are you!?" Naruto shouted, uselessly at him. The man only laughed harder. Sasuke gathered his wits and tried to focus. There was something odd about this magic, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Another flash of Lightning, and this time the dodged it more easily, and Sasuke returned the spell with his own of fire. The man vanished a reappeared close behind them, sending daggers of ice flying towards them.

Sasuke tried his spell once more but the man disappeared again. This wasn't going to work, he was too fast. Naruto seemed to be thinking along the same lines and quickly met Sasuke's eyes and a plan was wordlessly formed. Another blast of ice pushed them back to the edge of the cliff. Naruto summoned his blades and ran towards the sorcerer. He vanished again when Naruto reached him, but Sasuke was ready, and aimed his fire the moment he reappeared.

The flames hit their target has he materialized just behind Sasuke, but the man remained standing, still laughing maniacally. He drew a dagger and charged at Naruto. The flames searing through his flesh went unnoticed. Naruto engaged him, parrying each wild slash that was thrown at his as fast as he could manage. The fight had brought them back towards Sasuke and the edge of the cliff. Sasuke saw him take a single hit to the side of his torso before the flames had eaten away enough of the man for him to finally fall.

Naruto looked back at him in disbelief, panting heavily from exertion. A smile had just begun to cross his face, when a blast like a bomb erupted from the charred corpse, sending them both flying over the cliffs edge, and Sasuke's world went dark.

A/N: I have two more chapters after this that are already written, though they need some editing. Relationships are a bit slow to develop, as my original outline for this story saw it coming out to around 35 chapters, and I wanted them to feel more genuine and believable as the story goes on. I also had some explicit scenes planned, but will have to post them on a different site.

How do you feel about chapter length. I usually write to what feels like a natural stopping point for each chapter, but they are feeling a bit short to me now.


	11. Once More With Feeling

Chapter 11: Once More With Feeling

Every inch of Sasuke's body ached as he blinked open his eyes. It was dark, almost to dark to see. Where was he? He could tell that he was sitting up right, leaning against something firm. Had he fallen asleep in the chair again? There was something bright just past where he could see out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look at it. Moonlight? His head was pounding, preventing him from putting the pieces together. Shifting the rest of his body slightly he noticed three things caused him immediate concern; first that the soles of his shoes scraped against what felt like rocks when he moved them, second that there was something wrapped around his torso, restraining him, and third, that he was soaking wet. He struggled violently against the restraint in a panic, all thoughts of sleep or unconsciousness fleeing his mind in a state of survival.

"Ow, dammnit!" Came an irritated groan in Naruto's voice directly next to his ear. "Stop squirming, you ass, I've got you."

Sasuke stopped moving at once, his senses were beginning to come back to him and it donned on him that Naruto's arms wrapped around him was the reason he was unable to move, and the firm thing he was laying against was the other boy's chest. Looking to the side he also realized that the reason Naruto was holding him was because they were sitting on a narrow ledge beside a fast moving river. There was enough room beside them that Sasuke pushed himself roughly away in disgust to sit in the empty space.

Naruto scoffed at him in irritation and disbelief. "You're welcome." He said in the sarcastic tone he seemed to reserve especially for Sasuke. "You really are one of the worst people I've ever met. It's hard to believe that you and Itachi are actually related." The comparison stung, but he was unable to find a suitable retort in his current state, so he remained silent.

Naruto stood up and brushed himself off. He was covered it cuts, burns, and scrapes that were already starting to heal thanks to the demon blood that flowed in veins, though it was not as quickly as Sasuke remembered him healing before. He still clutched at his side where the man who attacked them had struck him with his blade. He turned towards the edge of the ledge they were on before adding back to Sasuke, "Now that you're awake, you can keep yourself from dying."

Sasuke ignored him and began to look over his own injuries. There was a cut to his lip, as well as a large burn on his calf and thigh, but he appeared to be otherwise uninjured. He also pushed himself to his feet, an effort made difficult by the injury to his leg, and examined their surroundings. The cool night breeze reminded him that Naruto had been keeping him warm and he lit a small fire tube to aid in light and warmth.

They were at the bottom a narrow ravine. Steep cliffs of dark grey stone rose up on either side of the river, as far as he could see in either direction. This part of the water, while moving quickly, was devoid of any rapids and was relatively quiet. It was evident to Sasuke that his lack of injuries, compared to Naruto, meant he probably owed the demon his life.

"Any idea where we are?" Sasuke asked tentatively.

Naruto took a deep breath before answering, attempting to keep their conversation civil, and not answer sarcastically again. "Not really. The river carried us quite a ways from where we fell before I could get us out." Blood seeped through his fingers and stained the shirt surrounding it where he held his side. Pointing up stream with his free hand, he didn't look back at Sasuke. "The cliffs end a little ways up around that bend, which will make it a bit easier if we can make it up there." He finally turned back to Sasuke. "We'll never make it with your leg like that though."

Before Sasuke could react, the demon had stepped towards him and grabbed him behind the head with his bloody hand. Biting into his own wrist, he then shoved it into Sasukes mouth. The metallic taste of warm blood coated his tongue and as choked, pushing Naruto away from him. It didn't take much as he seemed satisfied already and let go on his own.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sasuke spluttered, trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

"Demon blood," he stated simply. "I'm only half, but it'll still help." He gestured absently to Sasukes leg which had begun to tingle lightly.

He looked down at the wound. Steam rose off it and an odd sensation began to take the place of pain. It was healing, and quickly, but this brought up another question for Sasuke.

"If your blood can heal me..." He pointed to the wound naruto was still clutching, "why aren't you healing?"

Naruto removed his hand and lifted his shirt to show Sasuke the injury. The was a long deep cut on his side that was bleeding profusely, but not only that, the wound was turning black, and thin tendrils we're beginning to spread outwards from it and the surrounding skin was turning a dark greenish purple.

"He hit me with a cursed blade, I think. Fucking necromancer." The boy shrugged and shook his head as though it didn't concern him much, but his face told a different story. "We just need to get back to Sakura, come on." He pulled his shirt down, putting his hand back over the wound, and began to pick his way through the rocks to reach the waters edge.

Sasuke followed slowly. His leg had healed enough for him to use it, but it was still quiet sore and difficult to move. Apprehension and guilt sat in his stomach like heavy stone. Sasuke knew a lot about curses from all of his books. One like this would most likely continue to spread until it consumed Naruto and claimed his life. He'd never known a sorcerer or hunter to have survived one. Would Sakura really be able to save him? Being a witch, she drew her magic from a primal, earthly source rather than an arcane type one like himself, would that give her an advantage. What if it couldn't, what then? Would they have to just sit and watch Naruto die?

Sasuke was fighting with himself internally. Naruto has half demon, a monster, the likes of which he had been trained his entire life to destroy. The evil of which had been drilled into his head by his entire clan. A monster... that had saved his life. A boy, that continued to look over his shoulder with a worried expression, to see if he needed help. Who waited for him to catch up, wasting time he desperately needed to find Sakura.

They rounded the bend where the cliffs tapered off into a flatter grassy area. Sasuke could see what he thought was the cliff they'd fallen from off in the distance, but they still had miles to go, a cliff to climb, and he couldn't remember how far back to the car.

The black tendrils where still spreading from Naruto's wound. Sasuke could see the starting to show around the collar of and sleeve of his t-shirt. He was beginning to move slower as he wasn't having to wait for Sasuke as much.

"Stop waiting for me, and go find Sakura." Sasuke told him in a tone of mixed emotion.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not leaving you here. What if that necromancer wasn't the only one out here?"

"Then I'll send up a flare, maybe they can get to us quicker than we can get to them." He raised his hand to do so, but Naruto stopped him.

"No! Are you crazy?" He looked at Sasuke with wide eyes. What had he missed that Naruto had picked up on? "I just said, we don't know if that Necromancer was working alone. There could be others." Naruto had said it earlier, but it hadn't registered in Sasukes brain, and he was beginning to think he might also have a concussion, but head was becoming a little clearer as Narutos blood healed him.

Necromancer. That's why the magic had felt weird. Necromancers pulled their magic from the Other Side. They contolled dead souls, either in their original bodies, or by summoning them to inhabit the body of any organic, recently deceased, life form. He had probably planned to make Naruto one of his puppets with that curse. "If theres more and they find us, then we're both dead." He walked away from Sasuke. "At least I can get you out of here alive."

The comment stirred something in his chest. "You don't care if you die." He started after Naruto, forcing himself to go faster than was at all comfortable.

"Of course I don't want to die." Sasuke saw him reach up and scratch the back of his head as he spoke. "But there aren't that many people who'd agree with that so, you know, majority rules, or something." He shrugged in an exaggerated fashion. He'd meant it as a joke, Sasuke knew, but it had been anything but one. "Besides, I promised Itachi that I'd look after you." The boy turned back to him with a wide grin, and Sasuke's guilt doubled.

Not everyone in his clan had taught him the hatred he knew so well. Naruto's words rang in his head. 'It's hard to believe that you and Itachi are even related.' Itachi was this boy's friend, and trusted him enough to fight for and beside him. "You can't protect me if you're dead."

"I'll do the best I can until then." His tone was final and they continued walking.

By the time they crossed the grassy field and reached the cliff face, they were both moving slowly. Sasuke's leg ached and he could hardly move it. The cruse has spread to Naruto's Finger tips and up the side of his face. His breathing was heavy as though it was also constricting his lungs.

"It's less steep over there, it'll take some doing, but I think it's out best bet," Sasuke pointed out to him a spot that looked to be a manageable climb. Naruto nodded, and gestured for him to go first.

"Yeah... too bad you don't know any creation magic." He attempted to joke, but Sasuke didn't answer him.

It was maybe a little under 200 feet to the top, and very slow going. Sasuke went first and reached back down to help Naruto as much as he could. They were both exhausted by the time they finally reached the top. It felt as though they'd been walking for days. Sasuke had no idea what time it was, but the moon had crossed to the other horizon and dawn must not be far away. He'd hoped to see some sign of Sakura or Gaara, thinking that maybe they'd seen the lightning earlier and their way this direction. There was a small crater where the Necromancers body had exploded and knocked them into the river below.

Sasuke made for the place he thought they'd entered the clearing from, but stopped when he realized Naruto wasn't following him.

"Naruto?" His teammate was leaning against a nearby tree, looking at the ground, but looked up at the sound of his name.

"I think... this is as far as I go." He smiled sadly at Sasuke and slumped to the ground at the base of the tree. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke ran to kneel beside him, not knowing what to do. "Come on, this is the easy part, remember? It's just a straight shot back to car." he pleaded to the boy.

He looked at Sasuke, still smiling. "I'm sorry, Sas. He can't help me either it seems. Tell Itachi we tried." His eyes slowly closed and his smile faded as he rested head back aginst the tree.

Sasuke felt for his pulse. It was still there, but growing weaker.

"Think!" He scolded himself. There had to be something he could do with all the damn books he'd read on curses. How did the work? They latched on to a living organism like a parasite and drain the life from it, right? Then maybe he could give it something else to drain.

"I won't let you die, either." He told the half unconscious boy.

He pulled Naruto forwards enough that he could sit behind him and support him with his own body as naruto had done earlier. Soft blond hair brushed his cheek as he wrapped both arms around Naruto had placed his hand over the wound. He closed his and concentrated all of his energy into his aura, reaching out with it to make contact with curse.

His aura hit it with an electric shock, but he held on, pushing though the barrier and attempting to pull the curse out. It resisted, but Sasuke could feel it searching him, trying to identify what this new threat was. Then it felt it latch onto him and begging to creep up his own arm. It was painful. Like needles moving under his skin. Was this what Naruto had felt all night? And still the other boy had tried to help him.

The shock had temporarily brought Naruto to consciousnesses again, "what are you doing?" He asked weakly.

"Shut up, I don't know." He ground out as pain racked his whole body.

Sasuke continued to pull at the curse, willing it to release its hold on his teammate as it continued to spread up his arm instead. The curse receded a bit from Narutos face, and Sasuke hoped his lungs and heart, but he knew he wasn't strong enough to pull it out completely. All he could do was bide them time.

Throwing caution to the wind, he shot a flare of fire up into the sky, hoping above anything that either Sakura or Gaara would see it. If there were other Necromancers in the area, what did it matter now? They were dead anyway if they weren't found soon.

Time passed and there was no sign of their other teammates. Sasuke was beginning to grow weak, and Narutos breathing had slowed considerably. He pulled as much of his aura together as he possibly could, and aimed another flare of magic into the sky, when he saw lights in the trees at the edge of the clearing.


	12. People Who Eat Darkness

Chapter 12: People Who Eat Darkness

Sasuke attempted to reel the spell he had started back in, but he had grown far too weak to contain the magic and the second flare erupted into the sky. 'Shit' he thought, fighting to keep his eyes open. If those lights didn't belong to someone friendly, there was no chance of escape for either him or the dying boy in his arms. He had no way to defend them either. After the release of the last flare, his connection to the arcane force that drove his magic felt lost. His aura was almost completely drained. He'd used too much of it to keep the curse in check, and if he lost anymore it would consume them both. It had spread up into his chest, and the pain was making his mind float and his vision blurry.

Naruto had not opened his eyes since he had sat down hours ago, and Sasuke feared that it may already be too late, even if help did come. The earthy scent of the blonde's hair filled his nostrils, stirring something inside him that left an overall peaceful feeling adding to Sasuke's confusion.

The lights were now coming their way. Four small golden orbs floating quickly through the dense treeline. Sasuke willed himself to blend in to the tree behind him. The rough bark dug into his back when he subconsciously pulled Naruto's body closer, trying to think of how to save them.

Voices joined the lights as they neared and Sasuke's heart lifted. He knew those voices.

"Gaara," he tried to to call to their teammate, but his voice was too weak to make any any sound above a whisper. Gaara seemed to have spotted them, however and was sprinting across the clearing in his direction, Sakura close on his heels. They reached Sasuke wearing expressions that matched his own fears.

"What happened!" Sakura all but shouted at him as the balls of light that had followed them now came together overhead, shedding light on the horrific scene.

Sasuke again tried to speak, but a whispered grunt that sounded something like the word, "Curse," made it past his lips.

"Ok, ok, stop, don't hurt yourself. We'll figure in out." she muttered in a panicked sort of voice. Her eyes closed and she held her hands above Sasuke's covering the wound on Naruto's side, and Sasuke realized that he was now too weak to use the Sharingan to see her aura. The agonizing pain that shot through his body as she began to untangle the curse, however, was not missed. He cried out in pain with what little voice he had and Naruto, too, stirred in his arms. Gaara knelt beside them, unsure of what to do, looking helplessly at Sakura. Tears streamed from under her closed lashes, leaving darkened trails down her pale cheeks. She shifted her head, so that he long pink hair fell in front of her face, obscuring her expression.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in attempt to stave off the pain, but it was no use. He was far too weak to bare anything else, and darkness took him for the second time that night.

He was running down the path again, as fast as his little legs could carry him. The long grass that encroached upon the over grown path brushed against the bare skin of his calves, leaving tiny cuts that would sting when his mother forced him to bathe later that evening. He was almost to the end of the path and the waterfall that lay beyond. He was determined to prove to his bother that he was a big boy now, that didn't need to stupid babysitter telling him what to do. And then he heard it, the low, animalistic growling that made is heart stop. The sound that made the adult part of his brain, the sleepy part that was aware of the dream, shout at his younger self to stop and run away. But little Sasuke had not listened to fears back then, and nothing older Sasuke did not could change the past.

He felt strange. Somehow he was more aware in the dream this time than he ever had been. Watching his younger self at times and then others seeing through younger Sasuke's eyes. He stood in front of the shack once again, all thoughts of treasure and babysitters long forgotten, erased by fear. This was part of the dream where he always tripped and knocked himself out. This was the part he normally woke up, Only this time his eyes reopened in the dream.

A concerned and terrified face stared down at him. Bright blue eyes looked into his own, partially obscured by dirty blonde hair that hung across the equally dirty face of a small boy, roughly his own age. Sasuke did the first thing that came to mind and screamed at the top of his lungs. The boy screamed back and scurried away in fear, disappearing into the shack. Sasuke sat up and stared after him, trying to decide if what he had just seen was real. Slowly, he stood up. Fear and curiosity battled furiously in his mind, both pleading their cases in dire tones of urgency.

He took small, slow steps towards the shack as curiosity emerged victorious. Taking a deep breath and puffing out is cheeks in defiance, he made the last several feet to the derelict structure. He had never really gotten along with kids his own age, finding them annoying. He would make this boy pay for scaring him and causing him to hurt himself. He was an Uchiha after all, and such things were beneath him.

The door in front of him hung loosely on its hinges, and came crashing to the ground as Sasuke threw it roughly open. The sound scared him even more, and he almost turned to run for the tree after all, but a second sound held him rooted to the spot. Terrified sobs filled the small room. The blonde boy was sitting in the dusty corner, as far from the door as he could possibly get, with his knees pulled up to his chest. Sasuke got a good look at him for the first time. Blue eyes shone at him, full of fear and overflowing with tears. He was dirty from head to toe, with cuts and bruises covering most of his visible skin.

"I'm sorry!" he pleaded desperately with Sasuke. "I didn't mean to. Please don't hurt me." He hid his small face in his knees as he pulled them closer, attempting to make himself smaller and unnoticeable.

Sasuke suddenly felt horrible. He had never seen anyone this scared. "Its ok," he told the boy cautiously, "It was just an accident." The boy didn't reply, but continued to cry into knees. Sasuke approached him carefully. He wasn't at all sure what he was supposed to do, but he wanted the boy to just stop crying. "It's ok." he repeated, stretching out is hand to touch the boys shoulder. The second his fingertips touched the ripped fabric of the orange t-shirt, the boy cried out and jumped away as though Sasuke had tased him. "Oh for crying out loud, I'm not going to hurt you, so calm down," he snapped. This seemed to have done the trick and the boy looked up at him. "My name is Sasuke, what's yours?" he asked mechanically, in an attempt at the bored cool voice his brother often spoke in, and extended his hand.

The boy eyed him suspiciously. His eyes and face was still wet, but no fresh tears fell. "Naruto," he responded, but did not accept Sasuke's extended hand, his own still wrapped around his knees.

Sasuke slowly sat down where his was. "So what are you doing, running around scaring people?"

Naruto sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, muttering something that Sasuke couldn't here.

"Huh?" he asked the boy.

"I said, 'I thought you were a monster.'" He twisted his finger nervously, and didn't make eye contact with Sasuke. "Sometimes, he brings monsters." Sasuke didn't understand the last part, so he ignored it.

"Well I thought your growling was a monster!" Sasuke snapped. The boy peered over at him and they made eye contact for a moment before both bursting into laughter.

"What are you doing, all the way out here?" Naruto inquired of him, and Sasuke told him of the waterfall and the red stones. "I know where that is!" he responded enthusiastically, "want me to show you?!"

Sasuke readily agreed and Naruto grabbed him by the hand, dragging him from the shack with a wide smile. Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up as he let himself be pulled along to the river. Naruto pointed down into the water, and there sparkling beneath the surface, were fist sized stones that shone red in the sunlight. Naruto released his hand and smiled at him again. Sasuke beamed. They were real, and he could take one back and show Shisui. He waded into the water snatched up the closest stone. He wasn't greedy, one was all he needed.

"Does that mean you're leaving?" a small voice behind him blurted out. He looked over his shoulder to Naruto looking down at his toes.

"Don't you have to go home too?" It was getting late in the day, and even with the stone, Sasuke knew he was going to be in trouble. Naruto shook his head slowly. "Well, I can come back tomorrow..." he offered tentatively.

"You would come back?" He asked in surprise.

"Sure." Sasuke shrugged at him. He owed Naruto for helping him, and felt a little guilty for making him cry.

The bright smile he'd received in return for his offer, brought a blush to Sasuke's small cheeks. It was the beginning of Sasuke's first and only friendship. He returned to that spot almost everyday to play with Naruto for the next several months. Shisui hadn't noticed his disappearances yet, and Sasuke stopped complaining about him. He now welcomed the absentminded teen, knowing it would make it easy to slip away. Deep down he knew there was something strange about Naruto. His clothes were always ripped and worn out, and he wore the same ones each day that Sasuke went to visit. They never left the area around the shack and the waterfall. The first time they had tried, Naruto had been jerked violently backwards by the bracelet he wore around his wrist. Naruto had laughed it off, and Sasuke was too young and naive to understand what it meant. To him, this was just where Naruto lived, and he wasn't allowed to leave. He knew that Naruto wasn't human. There was too much animal about him. His eyes sometimes glowed red when he and Sasuke argued, and when he smiled, somehow he seemed to show too many pointed teeth. Sasuke didn't care much about any of that though. Naruto was strange, but he was the only person his own age that Sasuke had ever gotten along with. He felt comfortable and happy when they played together.

Sasuke wanted Itachi to meet the boy. He knew that his older brother could answer the questions he didn't even know to ask. However, on the day that he went to ask Naruto if it would be okay to bring his brother to their spot when he returned home the next day, Naruto did not come out to greet him as he normally did. It was quiet and the air felt strange, as though something lingered in the air that he didn't yet have the knowledge to identify. He approached the shack and glanced quickly inside. The quick look had given him sight of his friend inside lying on the floor against the wall. Sasuke moved slowly over to him. Naruto's eyes were open, but he didn't move until Sasuke sat beside him. As he sat up, Sasuke noticed his friend a great many new cuts and bruises. There was what looked like dried blood, caked in his hair and he seemed to be having trouble moving his limbs.

"I can't play today." He told Sasuke in a whisper that sounded far away. "I'm tired." Sasuke scooted closer to him and the blond boy laid his head on his shoulder as tears started down is cheeks.

Sasuke knew something bad was happening to Naruto, something he didn't understand. But he would bring Itachi tomorrow. Itachi would fix everything.

"Shh, idiot. I've got you." He promised, and Naruto smiled sadly up at him.

But when Sasuke returned the next day with his brother, the shack had been burned to the ground, and his one and only friend was gone.

The pain that had caused Sasuke to lose consciousness was also what roused him from the dream. His arm felt as though it were full of needles, and a heavy weight rested against his leg. The vibrations of whatever he was leaning against told him he was in a moving car. He was sitting upright and his head rested against something hard and cool. The window, perhaps. He forced his heavy eyelids open and was met with more darkness.

"Try not to move too much." A very tired voice that he barely recognized as Sakura's, said from somewhere in front of him. He bagan to be able to make out her face as his eyes adjusted to the dark.

He was sitting in the backseat of her car. It had been folded down flat into the bed that he normally slept on, but he wasn't t laying in it. He was sitting upright behind the driver seat with his back resting against the door. The cab lit up occasionally as they passed beneath overhead street lights.

"What-" he tried, but his voice failed him again.

"Shhh. I need to concentrate." She told him distantly, not looking up.

Sasuke followed her gaze to see Naruto laying across the seat with his head in Sasukes lap. Sakura her self sat behind the console that separated the two front seats. Gaara was diving them, but his hand was reached behind him to rest on Sakura's shoulder. While Sasuke still didn't have the use of his Saringan, he could guess that Gaara was transferring as much of his aura to Sakura that he could in order to heal Naruto.

"I've pulled the curse out of both of you, but he's still very weak." She sounded exhausted, as though each word cost her a great deal of effort. "His heart kept stopping..." she added in an even softer tone.

Sasuke wished desperately that he had any strength at all to give her. Knowin he had nothing, he still extended his hand to rest upon her knee, but she brushed it away impatiently.

"Don't be stupid." She scolded gently. "It's becase of you that he's even alive." She looked over at him with a soft smile. "You've definitely done plenty. Thank you."

Sasuke shook his head as though to tell her thank he didn't need thanks, but she looked away before she could see it. The hand whose feeble help she had brushed aside, came to rest on Naruto's forehead, gentle brushing through his hair.

As Sakura and Gaara worked he looked down at the face of the of the boy that had once been his friend, the only friend he'd ever really had. He remembered now the years he had returned to the shed and searching for Naruto. Itachi had been convinced that it was just a game Sasuke had been playing. He had told him that his imagination had run away with him, until Sasuke had begun to question his own reality, and eventually age and time had stolen the memories all together.

The car jerked violently, but Gaara quickly corrected. He was growing as tired as the rest of them.

"That's enough." Sakura told him, pushing his hand away as well. "We've done all we can, but we still need to get away from this place." She shifted her body to lay against the opposite door from Sasuke, by Naruto's feet. She fell asleep the moment her eyes closed. Sasuke caught Gaara's eye in the rearveiw mirror, but no words were exchanged between them.

Sasuke rested his head back against the cool window. They were away from the street lights now and he was watching the stars that stood out against the dark sky. Dawn had beeen near when Sakura and Gaara had found them. Sasuke could remember the faint light that had begun on the horizon. But the sky he saw now was as dark as could be. He'd been unconscious for for at least an entire day. His head was reeling with new information that he had no idea how to process.

He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would take him again quickly, but as his head began to swim, he felt Naruto move and try to sit up. He pushed the other boy back down, and whispered in a voice he hoped only Naruto would hear, "Shh, idiot. I've got you."

Naruto shoulders stiffened as he looked up at him, but Sasuke couldn't meet his eyes. Not yet. Naruto said nothing to him, but Sasuke felt the tension in his body release. Eventually words would be required between them, but this was neither the time or place. He opted instead to return to staring out at the stars in the night sky as they passed the window as he fell asleep again.


	13. Never Say Die

Chapter 13: Never Say Die

The harsh sun beat down on Sasuke through the car window. The heat soaked into his jeans, making him feel as though he were getting sun burned, and he shifted uncomfortably. The hot desert wind blew on him from the open front windows and he cast a resentful glance in the direction of the driver and front passenger, gone unseen through his sunglasses. It had been a week since their near death experience in the forest, and they had finally reached the outskirts of the desert city of Suna. Sasuke already hated this place. It was hot, dry, miserable, and as far as he was concerned, unfit for human settlement. He could not, for the life of him, figure out why anyone would choose to live in a sand soaked furnace.

His teammates, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the warmth. Gaara was driving, due his prior knowledge of the area, and had rolled down his window to let in the "nostalgic smells and warm air," as he had put it. Sakura was stretched out with her seat laid back and her feet on the dash. Her long pink hair whipped around in the wind, blowing across her sleeping face. Naruto was sprawled out in the back seat beside Sasuke, with one of his feet on the center console, and the other alternating between being sitting next to Sasuke's thigh, and resting across his lap, depending on how he moved as he too slept.

Sasuke longed to climb down the ladder into the living room, but they had all agreed to stay together while they were driving. Something about teamwork and moral support, or something. Sasuke had only agreed out tiredness and the desire to avoid an argument he was sure to lose. Besides, staying in the living room while they drove seemed to make him extremely motion sick. He didn't usually mind being up here, but right now he desperately wanted out of the sun, and didn't see the point of being "moral support" if everyone in the car was asleep anyway.

Naruto shifted again and his leg was back strewn across Sasuke's lap. Sasuke looked over at him, already knowing that he was still asleep. This was the only contact they had had since the forest. Sasuke wasn't sure why, but Naruto had scarcely looked at him in the past week, and had spared him no more that a few short words. He also wasn't entirely sure why it bothered him.

As he looked over the sleeping teen beside him, Sasuke spied a piece of black fabric under the seat near his elbow. Carefully as not to wake him, Sasuke shifted Naruto's leg away to the floor and leaned over to grab his own hoodie that he had left up here a few days ago when they'd been in milder weather. He unzipped it and tucked one end under Gaara's head rest, earning a slight chuckle from the driver, before rolling down the window enough to tuck in the other side, creating his own little shaded area in the corner of the vehicle. It didn't do much for the heat, but it kept the sun from relentlessly beating down on him.

"We'll be there in couple hours. You should get some rest too," Gaara told him. The red head had been considerably kinder towards him in the last week, Sasuke had noticed.

"Hnn," Sasuke quietly agreed with him. "What about you, though?"

Gaara laughed again, "I don't need as much sleep as the rest of you," he winked at Sasuke in the rear view mirror, "a fun demon trait for me." Seeing Sasuke's comfier expression he gestured at the other demon, "That one gets insane strength and an immense aura, and I get insomnia." He shrugged lightheartedly to show that he didn't have any hard feeling towards Naruto for his genetics.

"Why is that?" He asked bluntly.

Gaara shrugged again, "I think it just has to do with what kind of demons our parents were. Unfortunately neither of us knew enough about them to answer that." Sasuke nodded in understanding but didn't ask anymore questions and Gaara's eyes returned to the road. Sasuke turned to rest his back against the door and pulled his feet up on to the bench, falling asleep much faster than he had anticipated.

When he awoke several hours later, it was only due to Naruto violently shoving his legs away as they had become entangled with each other across the back seat as they'd slept. Sasuke was offended before remember that this attitude of disgust was exactly how he had treated Naruto until last week. It was how people had treated Naruto his entire life. A knot in his chest tightened. He promised this boy that he would protect him, and then had turned on him like everyone else. He had never cared before what Naruto was, not until he'd stupidly listened to the teachings of his clan. Sasuke had begun to realize over the past couple days that being with these three people over the previous few months, he felt more comfortable than he had at any time with his own blood family. The lengths that he had gone to in order to protect Naruto had mended things between himself and Gaara, but Naruto understandably had not forgiven him. Sasuke wasn't sure how to repair the remaining damage, or if he even could.

Sasuke removed his jacket from it temporary position and peered out the window. Tall dusty colored skyscrapers rose all around them, blocking the suns direct light. Everything looked to Sasuke to have a sandy texture which made his skin feel extremely dry and uncomfortable.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked Gaara through a wide yawn. He placed his hand on the seat in front of him to push himself forward between the seats to look at there surrounding through the windshield. The movement of her seat had caused Sakura to wake as well, and she irritably pushed him back into his own space.

"A few blocks away. We'll be there in about 15 min." Gaara answered him, distractedly as he leaned over the steering wheel to see around the corner.

Itachi's book had given reference to an old church he thought may be home to the clan placed in this city. They had all agreed that is was their best place to start looking for the gate. Sasuke still feared interacting with other clans. The Namikaze clan was good natured enough, but according to Sakura, hunting or even using magic in another clans territory held the possibility of death, if they were to break any of their bylaws. If they spoke to this clan about what they were doing or what they were looking for, and the clan disapproved of their goal, or were actually working with Madara, their job would get much harder.

They rounded a corner and Gaara pulled in to the parking lot of an abandoned church matching the description and location of the one In Itachi's notes. It was nestled between several large towers in a way the suggested that it was always in the shade.

The asphalt was cracked in many places and tall dry weeds sprouted through the openings. The windows on the lower levels of the building were bordered up, and the stained glass that adorned the higher windows was shattered, letting in the elements to wreck havoc on the interior. Sasuke felt a strange sense of foreboding as he looked out at the derelict structure.

Gaara parked and they exited the safety of the vehicle. The crumbling pavement crunched under Sasukes boots as he stepped out. The full blast of the heat outside hit him as though he'd just opened the door of an oven. The car door was scalding to the touch and he withdrew his had quickly. Even in the shade, heat radiated up from the pavement.

"What do we do? Knock?" Naruto asked.

Gaara shrugged and walked up the the chained wooden doors to test his theory. He knocked hard three times, a loud hollow sound that shook the doors and rattled their chains, but nothing happened.

"Smell anything?" He asked the blonde to Sasuke's right, who shook his head.

"What now, genius?" Naruto rounded on Sasuke. His hands were loosely shoved in the front pockets of his worn jeans, and his cold blue eyes scanned Sasuke with contempt and disapproval.

"Che," Sakura retaliated before Sasuke could, "this isn't his fault. Cut the hostility." Sasuke opened his mouth to defend himself but Sakura cut him off by punching both of them hard in the shoulder. "Both of you," she scolded in irritation.

Naruto groaned and stormed off to circle the building, and Sasuke did the same for the opposite side. Neither Gaara or Sakura followed either of them. Sasuke scanned every inch of the Church, searching for some sign of a left over aura that would tell him that Itachi's notes had been correct. He didn't know why, but he felt he desperately needed them to be. This note book was the only connection to his brother that he currently had, and he needed to be able to rely on it.

When he reached the back side of the building he ran into Naruto again. Sasuke tensed automatically, but the other boys aggressive nature seemed to have lessened somewhat, and when he spoke his voice was much softer than Sasuke had ever heard it before.

"Maybe it's been a long time since he's been here?" He asked, not looking at Sasuke, but up at the building before them.

"There aren't any dates in his entries." Sasuke replied warily, but Naruto only nodded in understanding. He wanted to be able to rely on Itachi as much as Sasuke did. Was it pure admiration, or had something else transpired between the two? The image of Naruto being handed a wad of cash from the backseat of a dark car, and the rumors that had followed him through school circled around Sasuke's head. He didn't think his brother would be the type to ever get tangled up with someone like Naruto, but then, it didn't look like Sasuke knew his brother very well after all.

'Someone like Naruto,' he thought. There was that mindset again. Who was Naruto exactly, to deserve such negative demonizing from Sasuke. Sasuke looked him over while the other was also lost in thought. This was the boy he once called his best friend, the one he would have done anything for. The one failed to protect and doomed to a life of abuse. True he had only been a child, but had he told his parents, or even Shisui, about the strange boy he'd found in the woods, could Naruto have been spared that life? Did Naruto have these same thoughts too? Did he blame or resent Sasuke?

"What?" Naruto had returned from his own musings before Sasuke and caught him staring. His tone was still calm.

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but he has been so caught if guard that no words formed in his head and closed it again, averting his gaze.

"Come on." He passed Sasuke and stode back to where the other two waited. "We should get started looking elsewhere."

Gaara and Sakura were standing back by the car, and old map unrolled across the hood, while Gaara pointed out and circled different locations. Sakura looked up at them as they returned but they both shook their heads at her.

"There's no trace of any aura. No one has been here in quite some time." Sasuke told her.

"There's no scent either, which is odd." Naruto mused. "There should be at least something from passerby's or punk kids , or something. But there's nothing."

"We think we should split up. Gaara and Naruto head south, and we'll head North." She indicated the map Gaara had marked for her.

"Whatever." Naruto replied distantly.

Sasuke was about ask how exactly they were supposed to split up with only one vehicle in such a huge city, but Naruto answered that question before he could get the chance.

He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out something that he promptly chucked at the ground beside him. A tiny clink sounded as something orange hit the pavement and quickly began to grow, quickly unfolding into orange chopper style motorcycle.

"Why am I the only one without a cool toy?" Gaara asked in a pouting voice that surprised Sasuke. "This is bullshit."

Naruto snorted in what was almost laughter as He swung his leg over the bike, kicking over the engine as he sat. Gaara climbed on behind him.

"what are you going to do, exactly." Sasuke wasn't sure why he was asking.

Naruto shrugged and smiled. "What I do best."

Gaara scoffed at him.

"hold on tight, sweetheart," naruto chided him, and Gaara folded his arms across his chest in response. Naruto gave them a parting wink and half-hearted, "Later," as they took off through the parking lot and back onto the crowded street.

Sasuke watched them disappear as an uneasy knot began to form in his stomach. "This doesn't sit well with me." He told Sakura.

"Oh, do you have a better plan?" She scoffed at him.

"I'm just worried they'll attract too much attention." He tried to reason with her. "Two demons, somewhere they shouldn't be... whatever clan is here will be drawn to..." He cut himself off as realization struck him.

"Like moths to a flame." She said distantly, watching the place the two boys had disappeared from. "At lease that's what we hoped." She fidgeted with her fingernails, and and shifted her weight nervously. "It doesn't mean it won't potentially be dangerous though."

Sasuke watched her for a moment before asking, "You like him don't you?"

"What? No!" She exclaimed defensively. But the reddening of her face told him all he needed.

"I didn't even say who I was talking about." He told her with a smile.

She scoffed again and punched him in the shoulder, stalking away to the car. Sasuke couldnt hell but laugh as he followed. He wasn't about to let her get off that easily if it was going to be this much fun.


End file.
